


Kindred Spirits

by SovereignZenith



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, First Dates, Frottage, M/M, Masturbation, Medium Burn, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated For Violence, Sort Of, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, TW for brief descriptions of child neglect, only at the beginning though, pining Takumi, then there will be fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-02-01 11:51:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12704445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SovereignZenith/pseuds/SovereignZenith
Summary: As Takumi’s eyes travel over the imposing form of the second Nohrian prince, taking in his thin lips which were curved into a domineering smirk, his mussed hair, and dark amor, which glinted radiantly in the sunset, he felt the limbs inked into his skin, curl and squirm, screaminghe was the one. His soulmate. In front of him.But when his eyes locked onto his, he saw no recognition. No surprise. Not a hint of bliss or jubilation. All he saw was hate.(Or, an indulgent AU where you get a tattoo that allegorically represents your soulmate)





	1. The Incident

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy a rather self-indulgent soulmate au and my first work for these two!

The day it happened hadn't been very special. Or, maybe it was special, in a way. To be frank, he'd expected something a bit more magical. 

Maybe he would discover it after a long excursion back from a festival in one of the neighboring villages. Or after a long day of blissful hunting. After an excursion back he’d remove his furs and get as far as his shoulder before being pleasantly surprised when he sees what is artfully engraved into his skin.

It could have been perfect.

Of course, this was all hypothetical. Takumi was anything but jubilant when it happened.

Despite what fairy tales make people believe, it doesn't happen overnight. Rare are the situations in which people wake up to beautiful decorations branding their skin. Startled, yet enchanted. His mother had told him it was because getting a tattoo was a rare occurrence in and of itself, and witnessing the ink and colors swirl together into a marvelous picture is an event the universe does not want you to miss. She’d described the overwhelming joy she had felt beholding the sight of a dragon, long and lean, take its form among the entirety of her arm, its horns, pointed skyward, having an uncanny resemblance to father’s helmet. 

_“Did you feel anything?”, he had asked, while being tucked away by gentle hands._

_His small palm reaching for the ornate canvas on Mikoto’s pale skin, though covered by long silk sleeves, he could see the barest hint of the dragon’s tail on her wrist._

_He’d paused to fiddle with the end of his mother’s sleeve, “Does…D-does it hurt?”_

_He was familiar with the word coward. Though he'd never admit to one. Regardless, the thought of something suddenly forming on his skin whilst simultaneously hurting sent coils of fear down his spine._

_But his mother, ever the soothsayer, shook her head calmly and with a voice as soft as the silks she wore told him, “There was no pain, but…” she lifted her sleeve and began tracing the body of the dragon, an absent look in her eyes, “it was as if I could feel the gentle winding of scales and the roar of a dragon in my ears.”_

_Covered up to his nose in blankets, wide eyed, he must have looked as frightened as he had felt because she chuckled lightly into her hand._

_“But I was not scared,” she added after a lapse in silence, and when she saw the telltale look of disbelief on her sons face smiled and said, “because I knew someone perfect, as chosen by fate, was out there waiting for me.”_

_She’d kissed him goodnight then, and turned to leave through the sliding canvas before the meek voice of her son stopped her._

_“What did the dragons roar sound like?”_

_Though he didn't know what prompted the question, perhaps pure childlike curiosity, he would always remember his mother’s answer, as she turned over her shoulder, hand extended on the door and eyes fixated on the corner of the room. Moonlight poured through the castle windows painting her hair white and making her pale skin glow, resplendent and ethereal. It was moments like these he thought of his mother akin to a goddess._

_“It was far away but everywhere all at once…like thunder. Strong and mighty…” and as she began making her way out of the door, he heard her softly, wistful and in love, “just like your father.”_

That same year, his father was killed and his sister taken by a Nohrian ambush.

In the years that followed, he picked apart the turmoil, the grief, the tumultuous years of training he and his siblings were thrust into for a war that was fast approaching the horizon.

Time seemed obscured since then, agonizingly slow yet dizzyingly fast so he laid out his past in intervals of important events. 

The day he met Azura was not long after his sister had been kidnapped.

The day his mother assumed the position of queen and promised sanctum for the people of Hoshido, raising a magical barrier around the country.

The day Ryoma was chosen by the divine weapon, Raijinto.

The day Hinoka was refused by the divine weapon, Fujin Yumi.

The day _he_ was chosen by the Fujin Yumi.

The day he elected his loyal retainers.

However, even these affairs seemed to blur together and dates were confused in the turbulence of a country on the cusp of war.

Yet, one event, poignant and clear, plagued his subconscious, a weighty reminder that the universe just wanted to watch him suffer.

A morning, irritatingly bright. The air, stagnate and humid from last night's storm, was motivation enough to abandon his kyudo gi.

Slick with sweat and exhausted, shoulder sore and dark circles under his eyes, he was miserable.

_Thwack!_

Three inches from a bullseye. He tightened his grip on his yumi. A sigh, heavy. Tired.

_Pathetic_

Takumi supposed it was fair to blame his lack of sleep. Nightmares tormented his dreams and he often lay awake restless, awaiting the first few slivers of light signaling a new day. But he was no stranger to thoughts of inadequacy. This was war. And in times of war, he couldn't afford to be second best.

“Good morning, Lord Takumi!” The familiar voice of his retainer, Oboro, snaps him out of his ruminating, “We’d thought we would find you here!”

Hinata trots up from beside her, grinning, clapping a hand on his shoulder, “Ooh, nice shot, milord!”

Oboro was now at his other side, training naginata in hand, proud smile on her face, “Of course! What else did you expect from our Lord Takumi!” Hinata looks sheepish for a second before his excitable grin returns, adding matter-of-factly, “You’re right! You’re so cool Lord Takumi!” Takumi rolls his eyes although his obvious smile belays his frustration. To others, his retainers might have seemed disrespectful to someone of his status. Takumi recalls in the back of his mind a conversation with Yukimura about the impolite manner at which his retainers treat him. He’d rolled his eyes then too. Albeit, with overt irritation rather than exasperation. He believed first and foremost a bond between retainer and royal should be that of friends rather than stringently servant and master.

He’d seemed to recall a faint buzzing in his ears before he'd resolutely ignored it and opened his mouth to counter their incessant rambling but stopped halfway when something torrid and electric shot through his chest, traveling up his neck until it was casting fire within his cranium, shooting agonizing sparks down his spine, fanning out through his nerves and throughout the rest of his body, causing him to immediately clench his eyes shut. He’d opened his mouth to scream. He probably had, but he wouldn't know as the deafening roar of magical energy filled his ears, shrill and cracking. Takumi had half a mind to recognize the effects of a Nohrian tome. Those of which he'd studied intensely in order to be more proactive in the war. Although, that raised the sinister question of was this an attempt on his life? Was he _dying?_

A bout of lightheadedness had Takumi careening forward a few feet before another shock of pain had his legs buckling and the prince stumbling down, reflexively catching himself before falling headfirst into a puddle. The water doing nothing to soothe the pain. The screaming in his ears subsided into a consistent hum and throughout it all he could faintly recognize Oboro, at his side on the ground, and her frantic cries for help. Hinata had most likely rushed back towards the castle for assistance.

Bile sat at the back of his throat, threatening to empty the contents of his stomach. Sharp needles of pain pricked on the back of his eyes and he opened them, immediately recognizing his own reflection. His expression twisted in agony, streaks of tears free flowing from his eyes and down the curve of his chin where they fell into the water. Pain turned to panic when he caught sight of something forming on his right side of his chest. Bright with mixtures of violets, blues and reds assembling multiple rings of symbols he didn't recognize congruent with the creation of symmetrical geometric shapes, connected with intricate lines and flowing aspects, taking the foreboding design of a Nohrian spell circle. From there, a different sort of pain thrummed beneath the complicated pattern, and he could recognize the gnarled fingers of twisted branches growing from the bright shape as they crawled down his left side and up over his shoulder. He had craned his neck to watch with horror as the branches creeped over the entirety of his arm. Takumi could feel the vice-like grip the limbs seemed to have as thorns of red poked intermediately underneath his skin and the rough bark splintered into his flesh.

The pain seemed to be subsiding then, just as the world began to turn black and hazy. His mind blanking and eyes becoming increasingly heavy. Through the fog, Takumi could hear the frenzied calls of his mother coming closer and could feel Oboro’s hand steadying him and lifting him up, desperate pleas of “Stay with me,” over and over again, but they fell on deaf ears as Takumi slowly fell into oblivion. But not without catching a glimpse of the familiar shape of a crescent moon shifting to rest on the center of his chest.


	2. Research and Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize if this chapter may seem a bit disjointed, especially in the later bits. My beta and I really struggled with pacing and, originally, this chapter was going to be connected with the first chapter, but I didn't really think that fit as well as it would become one big massive chapter, not that this one isn't big enough already.
> 
> Also, this chapter was in the works before I posted this fic on AO3 warranting its earliness. Given it's holiday season here however, updates may slow down.
> 
> With all that out of the way, enjoy!

Takumi liked to think he was in his element when perusing the castle's library. He had devoted much of his time there before the threat of war loomed ever closer and he was all but shoved into training along with the rest of his siblings.

He liked to think he was excellent at research . But as he glowered at the pile of books, each pertaining to the history of Nohrian spells and tomes, he was beginning to have some doubts. He had spent all last week, getting very little sleep and sometimes even omitting dinner, dedicated to deciphering what was on his arm. Overall, he was having very little luck. He was frustrated above all else and he had given up halfway through when the books delved into topics of advanced methods of construction. However, after all his research, he’d concluded that whatever was on his arm was special, and that Nohrians were better at withholding information than he thought.

So, here he was. 

He nervously shuffles his feet as he glares at the opaque canvas of a shoji screen. 

In hindsight, this was a terrible idea but what choice did he have? He couldn't approach Yukimura on the subject. Or wouldn’t, for that matter. Mikoto was already extremely busy and he wouldn't want to trouble his mother anymore than he could after the Incident. Confiding in any of his siblings was out of the question. They were just as experienced as he was on the subject of soulmates anyways and would probably just end up coddling him. And gods above, he refused to speak with Azama on the matter. This was his only option.

Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders he tentatively reaches for the sliding canvas.

_Plus, if you are going to broach topics of fate, you might as well speak with someone accomplished in the matter._

However, before his fingertips grazed the bamboo lattice and he could announce his presence, the divider slides open revealing the bubbly form of Orochi. If she noticed his startled expression and half stumble backwards she didn't say anything, instead beaming enthusiastically, “Ah! Prince Takumi! I had a feeling you would visit today.” She makes her way back into her quarters, gesturing for him to follow.

“Come in! Come in! I’ve even made us some tea!” He tentatively follows, taking in the fragrant scent of lavender before sitting rigidly at the dining table. As she promised, two steaming cups of green tea sat on either side, recently poured. If he wasn't before, he was surely unsettled now.

Orochi sat across from him, delicately cupping her tea and peering up at him curiously, “So, to what do I owe the pleasure, milord?” She takes a rather loud sip of her tea. He fidgets uncomfortably.

“…U-um…” he suddenly seems preoccupied watching the ribbons of steam dance off the top of his tea, “I thought you knew.”

Orochi stares at him, expression unreadable, before bursting into a fit of giggles. Takumi narrows his eyes, suddenly affronted and crosses his arms over his chest. Orochi eventually straightens out, laughter turning into quiet chuckles until sighing, 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, your lordship! It’s just…” She swipes the bottom of her eye, “I may be a fortune teller, but I am far from being a mind reader.” Takumi visibly relaxes. 

“Oh…” he says dumbly.

His eyes dance from Orochi to the opposite wall, the divider open and overlooking Castle Shisaragi’s magnificent gardens. A pleasant afternoon breeze circulates the room and the bright midday sun bathes half the area in gold. He just now realizes how cluttered everything is, with each space on every shelf occupying various talismans, lucky charms and books of every nature. A small shrine lies in the back corner, with offerings of rice and sake at its step, and incense at it’s side. A statue of the dawn dragon at its center. Lining the walls are scrolls depicting the magical beasts he commonly sees Diviners call upon in battle. Intermingling with these scrolls are crude paintings that he’s unsure as to what they depict. At Orochi’s side, he spots the sleeping form of Momo, the castles bobtailed house cat, curled against her leg. Various cards are strewn across every available surface, including the dining table. Streamers, fortunes and chimes hang everywhere around him. How anyone managed to work in a space like this baffles him, but he supposed there was a certain method to the madness.

“I was wondering,” he says, after a lapse of silence, “about…uh…” he fidgets with the right sleeve of his kimono, “that is…I was wondering about soulmates.” He visibly flinches at the word but Orochi doesn't seem to notice, instead humming excitedly, setting down her cup, “Ah! I didn't realize the second prince would be so keen on such amorous affairs! Tell me, milord,” she leans in, eyes passionate and hands clasped together, “have you too found yourself to be enamored with such romantic portrayals of soulmates one might often find in books? Or is it the promise regarding years of everlasting and passionate love. Such grandiose concepts can seem very alluring during during times of conflict.”

“I guess…” Takumi says, hoping he doesn't sound to nervous before finally lifting his cup for a sip.

“Or, dare I say, you've been reading up on tales of the _erotic._ ” Takumi chokes on his drink. Orochi laughs until she leans back, cordial and focused, “I know you didn't come here to hear me ramble on, milord. So, what would you like to know?” 

Takumi mentally rehearses the questions in his head, pensively regarding each one in importance before he decides he'll just go in order.

“Is the time at which you get a mark any way connected to the time you'll meet your…soulmate.”

Immediately, “No. As you probably know, every tattoo forms at least during someone's teens. Afterwards, it’s up to fate. I’ve seen youth get marks before discovering the next day their best friend was their soulmate. I’ve also seen people who didn't find their true love until 40 years after they received their tattoo.”

Takumi shudders, “Ok, uh, i-is meeting your soulmate like what they say in the books?”

“You mean with fireworks and an immediate reaction, almost like instinct?”

“Yeah-“

“No. Depends on the tattoo. Some may recognize them immediately, others…take time.”

“What do you mean?”

She taps her drink thoughtfully, “No matter what it depicts, a mark will always be a representation of your soulmate. It could be something really obvious like their favorite hobby or maybe a personal object of theirs. Other times, marks can be a little bit trickier to figure out, like maybe it’s a childhood nickname, a place where they grew up, or, on the more rarer note, completely symbolic. Those with a more emblematic tattoo almost always have to take time to get to know their partner, before piecing together the puzzle.”

Takumi nods deliberately, “Hypothetically, if I got a mark, could you predict who my soulmate is going to be?”

“No.”

Takumi deflates. 

“Fate has a strange way of doing things,” Orochi adds, smile pensive and knowing, “It’s difficult to predict specific fortunes and events. Mainly because fate is always susceptible to change. However, in the case of soulmate marks, which are highly precise unto themselves, it should be easy.”

“So, what you're saying is you _won’t_ predict who my soulmate is.” Takumi bristles.

“Not won’t. _Can’t._ Trust me, if I could I would but…every time I’ve tried, the image is obscured; unreadable. Almost as if something was deliberately hiding it.” 

He stifles a groan that nearly threatens to leave his mouth. Instead, he sighs and scratches nervously at his right arm, reaching in his sleeve pocket to grab a slip of parchment and unfolding it on the table.

“I heard you're familiar with magic,” he takes a trembling hand and pushes the paper towards Orochi, who regards it with a raised brow, “Can you tell me what any of this means?” Momo, who had sensed his unease, had gotten up from beside the diviner and ambled onto his lap, curling into a ball.

Orochi delicately touches the surface of the paper, curious eyes examining it thoroughly. He’d tried his best replicating the sophistication of the tome, with every mistake he'd start over, until his room was littered with crumpled parchment. While the angles and shapes might be a little off, he'd made sure to ink every symbol with exact detail, paying special mind to even the most insignificant intricacies.

“Well,” Orochi sighs after a terse silence, “It’s definitely Nohrian, so don't expect too much insight. By the way, did you draw this?” Takumi nods and she hums before she continues, “Nohrian spells are rather easy to decipher. They seem like they would be complicated but enchantments tend to remain the same across most tomes, shifting only slightly depending on the spell.” 

There's a brief pause before she rests a finger on the outermost ring of symbols. “But these…I’ve never seen anything like these…If it were a couple symbols here and there it would be understandable, after all I'm no expert but…” She chews at her bottom lip, “See here!” Her finger moves to point at a downward facing spiral motif among the outer ring of designs. “Facing upward, this symbol means consume, or destroy, but I've never seen it facing downwards …and here!” She points to a square with a diagonal line cutting across it, “Without this cut, it would be control, restraint. How peculiar, it all seems so familiar yet it feels…different. Ancient, somehow.” She whispers as an afterthought before her bubbly smile returns, “However, I must say, I’m quite impressed with the level of detail. Although, this is quite a step away from the topic of soulmates. Where did you even…” Orochi’s smile fades, her mouth parted slightly, eyes widening it what he quickly realized was realization, but before she could speak, he rests a hand on her shoulder bringing her slouched form eye level. “Please,” he pleaded, ignoring the quiver in his bottom lip, “don’t tell anyone.”

And when she nodded, he'd felt the compelling urge to tell her _everything_ , because she _knew_ and she wasn't his mother or his retainers or a random stranger. And because he knew her _enough_ , he told her everything. Every little detail, every stab of pain, what he saw, who knew, all of it word vomited at a person he barely knew but felt like he could trust, all the while she grasped at his hand comfortingly, nodding along, her lips drawn in a thin line. There was no pity and he was thankful for that. He’d described the fear he'd felt waking up the next morning, in a different room than his own. The few nurses that were there looking heartbroken and _pitying_ him. How it made him angry that this was on his shoulder forever. About halfway, he'd choked up trying to figure out what sort of monster the universe had picked _for_ him and Orochi had moved to his side holding him as she uttered comforting words and subduing his panic with soft hushes and rubbing small circles on his back. Momo mewled and purred beside him offering belly rubs whenever she would sense his anxiety and, when all was said and done, and no words were left to be said, he'd hugged the cat close before setting her back on her cushion. 

At the door, Orochi gave him one final embrace, before he set out towards his room. He made it a few feet down the hall when he heard Orochi calling him. When he turned around he saw her upturned hopeful smile and he felt his own concerns lift a bit as well. “If it's any consolation, I can tell you one thing about your soulmate,” He’d tilted his head then as she continued, “It’s that, whoever they are, they possess power unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

~~~~~~~~~~

It was dark when he returned to his room, lightheaded and feverish from his earlier vulnerability but overall satisfied. He’d once objected, as did most everyone else, to the appointment of Orochi as his mother’s retainer, due to the clandestine reputation of her family. He realizes now he had been so very wrong. That Orochi could be trusted. That she was a good friend. 

He examined the tattoo in the mirror, having taken off his kimono to get ready for bed. He ghosted over the intricate designs of symbols that rested squarely on his pectoral. Tracing the moon, the circles, the shapes. In the moonlight, they seemed to glow a bright purple, intermingled with hues of blue, some reds and yellows. He’d almost consider it beautiful, if it weren't for the crooked branches forming out of it. They twisted everywhere, in jagged paths, over top each other, everywhere they could, wrapping down his right side and roping over his hip where it stopped, covering his right arm down to his wrist in blackish brown tendrils. The leaves, few and sparse as they were, depicted dead or dying. Where there were rosy thorns he felt the urge to itch until his skin was red and raw. He’d seen trees wrought with blight, blackened and dead. Hideous. Disgusting. Ugly.

This did not look any different. 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He could have never imagined the turn of events after the Incident. In the relative two years that followed, Corrin had returned, his mother killed, Corrin was chosen by the divine blade Yato, and Hoshido was now on the forefront of war with Nohr.

It had all happened so quickly, or at least, that's what he believes. 

Strange how just a week ago he'd been mourning in his chambers, cursing the gods names for all the luck they had given him. In return, they sent a Nohrian ambush, led by a crafty mage, to capture him and his retainers during his patrol on the west border of Castle Shisaragi.

And now, he was holding the lifeless body of archduke Izana as Corrin hovers over him expectantly. Whether or not the archduke died would not have mattered. His empty threats of haunting him doing nothing to sway his position on whether or not to join Corrin’s ‘army’. However, his sister, all doe eyed and pleading for him to stay might have. 

She had wasted no time seeking him out for a hug after being freed from his prison cell. He’d eagerly returned it, because the day Sakura had left with nothing but a written apology behind her, he'd nearly lost it.

He had always had a closer relationship with her than Hinoka and Ryoma, and when he noticed fresh cuts and bruises on her pale skin, early signs of fighting in Corrin’s army, he'd had the compulsory urge to protect her. He couldn't lose her, after all. Not after mother. 

So, he'd agreed, if only for Sakura’s sake than by his own volition. It was ridiculous how euphoric the answer made Corrin. 

Outside the archduke’s manor, the tome etched on his skin hummed and he gripped his shoulder in a desperate attempt to quell the inevitable pain that followed. 

“You okay?” Corrin had rushed over to his side in an instant, obviously sensing something was amiss.

“Everything’s fine.” He responded curtly, hoping to dissuade the Nohrian princess from prying into his personal affairs.

“I just would really like to be alone.” He lied. During times where he became painfully aware of the thorns digging into his skin, shooting unpleasant prickles along his arm and side, and the thrum of magic became deafeningly loud, he almost always found solace in Sakura or Orochi. Sometimes being comforted by his retainers or his mother. Never alone. But it was too late now as he left the crestfallen Corrin and broke away from the group, traveling down the length of the engawa. 

The area around the manor seemed strangely cold, bizarre for a nation that shares similar weather patterns with Hoshido. 

He was nearing the front of the manor when he noticed the veranda ahead was splintered and cracked, as if a storm had destroyed a small portion of the house. Curious, he drew closer, noticing how the tattoo throbbed with every step until the pain was almost unbearable. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the charred quality of the wood and bamboo, fractured upward and about. Debris littered everywhere. The roof of the engawa had been partially blown out, with part of the roof hanging precariously off to the left. The support beam probably destroyed. In the middle of the porch, a gaping hole had been left, as if a caster had summoned a lightning bolt in that particular spot. The humming in his ears screamed louder and he wrestled with his nerves and approached the jagged, teeth-like edge of the crater. 

Inside, the decaying corpse of Zola, his captor, lie, face in a perpetual state of fear, but he didn't pay attention long to the carcass, as he noticed black tendrils of branches growing out of the mages stomach. The same branches on his arm. 

Any fear he may have felt was replaced instantaneously with resolution as he slides down the length of the hole nearly stumbling into the small tree before taking off his glove and pulling up his sleeve, holding up his arm for a better comparison. 

The same rosy thorns. The same dead leaves. The same blight ridden bark. The same. The same. _The same._

_Unbelievable._

“…kumi…!”

_Was the caster here?_

“…akumi!…”

_This looks recent, who-_

“Takumi!”

Startled, he looks up at the edge where Corrin was. Her eyes focused on the length of his arm, mouth slightly agape and covered with a dainty hand. Immediately, he begins to fix his sleeve but stops short at the sound of Corrin’s voice, astonished and a bit breathless, “Brynhildr…The divine tome…It cast this spell…”

The divine tome. Which means there was a wielder…which also means…”My br-Leo. He wields Brynhildr.” Corrin stumbles, small but entirely audible.

Leo. Second prince of Nohr. He would have laughed if it weren't for the dread rising in his stomach. 

Because of course. _Of course_ his soulmate was his worst enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WORD OF WARNING! There will most likely be a boost in rating next chapter for some...spiciness...and also violence. 
> 
> Don't worry, next chapter, they meet. From there, things will start picking up speed.
> 
> Also, Orochi is best fates girl amiright?


	3. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the spice train!!!

Takumi certainly wasn't expecting being led by a talking fish-dragon into a small, astral plane but, honestly, today has been full of surprises.

Lilith-at least, that’s what he thinks her name was-had drawled on and on about the astral plane, its purpose and mechanics as well as the different facilities and their functions before eventually leading him to his tent. He’d bid his retainers farewell a little while ago, splitting off from him to their own quarters. Lilith closes her good night with a toothy yawn before floating away toward her shrine. 

Inside his tent, a lone desk sits toward the right side of the room, empty save for a lit lantern and some parchment. An empty book shelf at its side as well as a standing mirror. To his left, an imposing Nohrian style bed takes up the entirety of the left canvas side, the elegant headboard carved of redwood and the sheets sewed a dark crimson with intricate gold embroidery. Hanging from the bedposts not facing the canvas was dark Nohrian drapery, for added privacy he guesses.

He sighs and sets down the Fujin Yumi on the desk before diving into the bed. Nohrian mattresses were unfairly soft, he realizes as he curls into the nearest pillow. Takumi runs down the list of things needing to be done. He needed to bathe. The sun hadn't completely gone down so he could probably squeeze in a few practice shots before dusk. He wasn't particularly hungry but maybe he could run by the mess hall for a few snacks…

Takumi sighs again before burying his head further into the pillow. He couldn't fool himself. Eventually, he would have to return alone and restless; plagued with thoughts of _him_. He groans as his head is immediately flooded with images of Leo that day on the river. They had nearly gone to war then. They could have nearly killed each other. 

Corrin who confided in him after finding out about his tattoo had told him Leo was the strongest mage she knew. That Brynhildr, the tome that can manipulate gravity and life, could level the very ground where he walked, could crack the earth as if it were glass, and could call upon vines to tear his enemies asunder. Takumi swallows thickly when he realizes he'd been so close to being at the receiving end of that sort of power. Would Leo have recognized him? Or would he have mercilessly killed him, in spite of him knowing he was his soulmate?

And what of Corrin’s ambitious plans of uniting the two kingdoms? What would happen if they no longer saw each other as enemies? Would Leo accept him? Takumi was having a hard time actually hating the man. After abruptly finding out he was his soulmate, his mind seemed to be refusing the fact that they were from two opposing kingdoms who have hated each other for centuries.

His thoughts jumped back to the time on the river, the details in the other prince’s face made fuzzy in the distance, but he could make out the shining blonde hair pulled back in what he guessed was a headband, dark eyes, the palest skin and, Takumi recognizes with a sinking feeling in his gut, that his soulmate was handsome. Incredibly so.

His breath hitches a bit when he tries to imagine him without the armor. He perceives someone lean and thin but no less strong. The spell on his arm hums and it feels almost pleasant. Takumi wonders how Leo’s voice would sound whispering his name and adoration in his ear and he sighs when he fantasizes soft, unmarred hands smooth over his sides, up his back, everywhere they could reach. Takumi’s fantasies suddenly come to a halt when he notices he's considerably hard and pressed uncomfortably against the fabric of his pants.

Takumi shifts to a more comfortable position on his back. Shame burns red hot in his cheeks and coils like a snake in his chest, where it waits, applying its venom whenever he lets his thoughts drift back to the dark recesses of his subconscious. Takumi has found himself in this situation before, dreaming of a faceless character, over top of him and all around. However, this time was different. He had a face, a defined figure, a name. His cheeks burn with embarrassment and he covers half of his face with the back of his hand. His eyes close tightly and the magic in his arm screams.

Leo returns then, this time pressing soft kisses along the length of his jaw, down the column of his neck and along his collarbone. Takumi bites his knuckle before throwing caution to the wind and releasing himself from his pants. His cock springs from the confines and he wastes no time precipitously taking off his glove before wrapping a hand around the warm flesh.

Takumi’s head tips back, mouth slightly parted, shame momentarily forgotten. In its stead, a careful momentum of white hot pleasure builds deliciously behind his navel.

For a moment, Takumi tries to imagine Leo’s hand gripping him, gently caressing the smooth organ. He pulls back the foreskin, bites his lower lip and runs a thumb over the slit. 

He starts slow, as he always does, teasing the exposed head and running the calloused pad of his thumb along the smooth flesh in ways only he was familiar with before he tentatively begins stroking. Through the muddying haze, Takumi could hear his breaths becoming more ragged by the second, little pants interspersed with contented hums and quiet moans fill the tent and Takumi wonders despairingly what Leo’s name would sound like among such lewd noises. He immediately fights down the urge but, as his pace increases, he very quickly realizes he's fighting a losing battle.

He swallows the lump in his throat before trying.

 _“…L-Leo…”_ He sighs, surprised with how different it sounds now. Breathy and laden with unimaginable heat. He tries again, this time repeating it. A barely whispered mantra of Leo pours from his lips, adoring the way it rolls off his tongue, sounding almost affectionate; familiar. Like the name of a lover. He envisions Leo hovering over his prone form, gaze loving and he sighs underneath his soulmate’s fixation. 

_“…gods.”_ He whines when Leo’s hands run along his sides gripping his waist, leaving a trail of careful kisses down his chest and further down his stomach. 

Takumi’s breath hitches and he moans imagining Leo leaving love bites everywhere he could, favoring the inside of his thighs. His grip on his calves firm but not unpleasant. After a while, they begin massaging the inside of his calves, slowly inching forward until they are dangerously close to his crotch. Takumi strokes faster now, chasing the exquisite peak. His back arching off the bed, head tipped back, desperate pants and needy whines and whispers of _Leo_ fill the room. Precum dribbles from the tip, and he nearly cries out again when he imagines Leo’s tongue swipe over the slit, before teasing along the head, and when he bucks up into his hand because he's so _so_ close and when fantasy Leo continues his ministrations, punctuating them with a hard suck on the head of his cock, Takumi cries out, pleasure, delectable and hot, fans out from his core, sending sparks of white lightning down his spine and causing his toes to curl in the sheets.

But when he opens his eyes, he finds he is alone, and in the aftermath of the pleasure, the fangs of shame deliver its venom. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ve been thinking…” 

“Uh oh.” Oboro cackles at the indignant pout she receives in response before Hinata continues, turning towards Takumi just as the bowman finishes putting away his training Yumi among the other various weapons in the convoy. “…about what you are going to say.”

Takumi raises a brow as does Oboro. “Y’know. When you meet him.” He accompanies the statement with a quick flick of his eyes over Takumi’s right arm. The lively mood gives way to an immediate seriousness, and Oboro steals her expression into a thinly concealed look of impassiveness. Takumi shrugs noncommittally, deliberately schooling his own expression to remain neutral and uninterested, despite the constant curling of vines underneath his flesh and the consistent hum of magic in his ears.

“You know you’re gonna meet him, right?” Hinata remains adamant, though Takumi isn't sure why. Normally, topics of soulmates were carefully avoided by both of his friends ever since the Incident, only ever mentioned flippantly when in regards to someone else. Even then, it was generally a sore subject.

“Yeah, why?” Takumi finally turns all his attention to Hinata, arms crossed and guarded.

Hinata rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, fidgeting a bit before speaking, “I don't know…I just thought…It’s exciting, right?”

“I guess…”

“So I guess I was just wondering what you would do.” Hinata looks down seemingly dropping the subject and Takumi just now realizes he had been glaring before he relaxes. With guilt gnawing at his gut, he decides to humor him, just this once.

“To be honest…” Takumi pauses, tongue ghosting over his dry lips, “I don't know.” He looks at the wide array of weapons, consciously avoiding the gazes of his retainers. 

“I’ve thought about it…” He adds with an airy laugh that comes out more as a wheeze, “I’ve thought about it a _lot_ but…”

“You just don't _know._ ” Oboro finishes, ostensibly understanding. Hinata hums, looking away for a second before he turns toward Takumi with an almost gleeful expression, “Maybe you could write something!”

“What do you-“

“Like a letter! I’ve heard a ton of people do that!” Hinata shifts from one foot to the next and it’s difficult not to smile at his enthusiasm.

Oboro adds, with a somewhat forced smile, “My parents did that. They told me how nervous they were when they met, and how they both pulled out handwritten letters for the exact occasion.” Her smile seems lilted and her voice tapers off at the end of her thought. 

“Oboro…” The spear fighter shakes her head before looking up at him, giving Takumi an affectionate smile. “I think a letter would be perfect. Sometimes it’s hardest to find the right words in the moment, given, most of the time, they're the hardest ones to say.”

_“Poetic.”_

“Shut it, Hinata.” Oboro mock glares before turning back to him, “So, what do you say?”

Takumi thinks it over. Maybe it was a bit awkward but these things were never meant to be perfect in the first place and it would definitely help to come prepared. The more he thought on it, the better it seemed. It was lightweight and could easily be carried on his person at all times, no awkward stumbling, he could cut right to the chase and, in the end, he could keep it as a nice little memento.

Takumi looked up at his retainers, their eyes hopeful, expectant and Takumi thinks he does not deserve them before nodding.

Their smiles were almost blinding.

~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi knew he would struggle. Turns out the right words are as hard to write as they are to say but he supposes it’s better than having to come up with them on the spot. At least now he had a considerable amount of time to deliberate on the contents of the letter.

Takumi ends up going through eight rough drafts, each in varying lengths and subjugated to different amounts of formality before deciding on something decidedly short and frank. Blunt and maybe a bit informal but it was _him_ and he was proud of it. 

He stuffs the parchment in an envelope before tucking it in the sleeve of his garment.

He admits, as he inspects the tattoo in the mirror for the umpteenth time that evening, that he's excited. Corrin had divulged many stories and quirks about his soulmate. His near captivation with magic, and his subsequent exceptional talents in the magical field. His infatuation with tomatoes. His unfortunate dressing tendencies, and suddenly, Leo the second prince of Nohr, just became Leo his soulmate.

In the mirror, flecks of green shimmered through the darkened branches, bringing life to something once dead.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Takumi wasn't unfamiliar with blood. His own drips down his left side. A near fatal consequence for letting his guard down. Thankfully, Hinata was at his side in an instant, pushing him out the way of an advancing swordsman, the blade only barely slicing his side. Hinata effectively finishes him off after his parry with one cut to the exposed jugular. 

Takumi thanks him, turning his attention toward Oboro, just as she strikes upward on a charging knight, knocking him off his horse. She easily ends him with a broken scream. Already, blood pools where the man lay.

He had refocused his attention elsewhere, desperately trying to protect Hinoka, who flies just ahead, dangerously close to a bowman. He forms an arrow and launches it in an instant, killing the bowman before he could nock an arrow.

His breath was coming out in ragged pants, the cold Nohrian air sending icy blades in the back of his throat. His chest was tight and his legs shook from overexertion. The pain in his side nearly unbearable if it weren't for the adrenaline rushing through his veins. His retainers looked much worse, with Oboro sporting multiple gashes along her sides and arms, and Takumi could see the makings of a massive bruise on Hinata’s left shoulder and how the swordsman’s form was favoring his right side a bit more. Blood dripped from Hinata’s forehead and Takumi wondered if that would leave another scar on his face.

Camilla flies ahead, leaving a rush of wind in her wake and an indomitable screech of her mount. She commands her wyvern to attack a couple of armored lancers and the beast dives, extending its claws, burying them in the steel as if it were made of paper. With a visceral scream, the creature sinks its teeth into one of the men’s helmets as its claws begin ripping apart the steel and, with it, the flesh. Takumi has to look away.

Ryoma, who is in the frontlines, summons a lightning bolt which shoots from the sky in a blinding white light, silencing a group of enemies and scorching the earth in its wake. However, where the foes fell, more seemed to take their place and, though others may have not noticed, Takumi was perceptive enough to notice the tip of the Raijinto pointed down, and the heaving of Ryoma’s chest.

Corrin, who is in dragon form, lurches over the body of a recently killed pawn, her head drooping and maw extended. Exhaustion is written all over her slouched form, painting a foreboding picture of the outcome of the battle. They were not expecting an ambush. They were outnumbered. They were going to lose.

In his peripheral, he can recall the melodic voice of Azura and although everyone was doubled over in fatigue, her voice rings strong and true, echoing over the battlefield in a dramatic refrain. He steels himself. His grip on the Fujin Yumi tightening with newfound resolve and, using the last of his energy, wills the wind around him in a furious gust before rushing forward because if he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. 

Takumi surges toward the nearest swordsman, legs screaming in protest as the wind carries him, taking the blunt edge of the Fujin Yumi and driving it into the swordsman’s temple, hearing the crack of bone, feeling the warmth of someone else’s blood on his skin. He pulls the weapon out of his foe’s skull before turning to his side, forming an arrow and releasing it in the span of a couple heartbeats. The arrow splitting into the chest of the nearest brute. Through the howling of the wind and the scream of magic in his ears, he vaguely picks up the warning roar of Corrin signaling reinforcements. He grits his teeth as he knocks another arrow, taking down a diving wyvern rider, who ends up barreling into a group of enemy mages. A guttural cry captures his attention and he narrowly avoids the iron axe of a charging brute. As he forms an arrow and aims it at the brutes head, a searing pain fans out from his back and, in an instant, he is brought back to that _Day_. The pain travels up and down his spine. The arrow dissipates and the force of the Nohrian spell sends him a couple of feet before he collapses in the mud. Jagged rocks split his chin and lip. The Fujin Yumi is flung several feet away from his body. 

He hears the nefarious chuckle of Iago before he sees the sorcerer’s shadow lurch over him. Pain quickly turns to panic as he grasps at the ground trying to find purchase but exhaustion weighs him down and his limbs fail him as he slips again and again, trying desperately to crawl away from the maniac behind him.

Iago slowly, tauntingly, walks over to his wounded side. “Oh, you poor poor _defenseless_ thing…”

Takumi chokes back a sob when the sorcerer kicks into his gash, effectively pushing him on his back. “What ever shall I do with you…”

Takumi glares up at the sorcerer, refusing to show his pain; his fear. The mage levels a derisive stare, a crooked smile plays on the corner of his lips. The mask glints a menacing red in the setting sun. The rays splitting through the storm clouds. “I could kill you but, oh, wouldn't it be fun to play with you instead. Torture you a bit…Bend your mind to our will…Present you as a trophy for-“

“ **Shut u-!** ”

A boot on his throat adequately silences him and he places both hands on the foot fiercely trying to remove the weight. Choked whimpers and panicked sobs fill the crisp air, blending in with the clattering of metal and the wails of battle. The painted limbs on his arm curl painfully and he feels the thorns puncture his skin. 

“Tsk…but I think I’ll just finish you here…” Iago raises a hand as a ball of black energy begins to form. Takumi struggles violently now, effectively pulling the boot off his neck before frantically crawling backwards toward the Fujin Yumi. He is stopped when Iago crushes his boot against his chest, knocking the wind out of him. 

“Now now little prince…I’m graciously putting you out of your misery. Now, hold still so I ca-“ Thorns. All Takumi can see are thorns and gnarled branches as they crawl out from the sorcerer’s chest; blood spraying on his midriff. Some curl uncontrollably out of his stomach, while others wrap around his limbs. Iago has his mouth hanging open in what Takumi can only imagine is a scream, but he hears nothing. Perhaps he was already dead. More branches curl from out of the sorcerers opened mouth and Takumi swallows down the bile attempting to leave his stomach as Iago is ultimately rendered an effigy of madness.

Takumi finally manages to find the strength to stand, grabbing the Fujin Yumi off the ground before his eyes frantically search for _him_ because there was no way he was here.

But, as fate would put it, he rides in behind Takumi, his posture dignified, his eyes a darker russet than his own, and his hair is indeed pushed back by a headband. The setting sun’s light sets fire to the obsidian metal of his armor. His blonde hair, though mussed from battle, looks incredibly soft up close and his expression is poised and calculative. Immediately, the magic in his ears burst and lights flicker behind his eyes. Dancing sparks of purple, blue and red blur his vision and the limbs on his arm coil. Takumi sucks in a breath. _He’s so close._ He has the urge to tear off his right glove and wave it in front of him like a child because _he's here. Close enough that he can reach up and touch his mounts nose._

He doesn't say anything or…he isn't given the chance, because Leo doesn't spare him a glance as he rides off toward the next enemy.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next time they meet, it’s after the battle.

Takumi had been sent to the medical tent, exhausted and dragging his feet. He’d argued that he was fine. That it was just a cut, but Sakura had told him otherwise and had ushered him in. 

Inside, he sat indignantly at one of the beds before Sakura closes the curtains around them. Precautionary. She knew about his tattoo. Others didn't.

After inspecting for other, less serious injuries, she applies the necessary medicines and dresses his wounds before handing him his shirt and furs.

He thanks her and she hugs him, stuttering an, “I-I’m so glad y-you’re okay.” and he returns it because he wasn’t heartless and, to be honest, he'd been so scared of losing her as well. 

After putting on his shirt, she stops him, as he leaves, “W-wait! I-I found some more s-sleeping medicine for you. Here, l-let me go get it.” She scurries off toward the back of the tent and he smiles appreciatively before opening the curtains.

Immediately, he's met with blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Takumi reels back, nearly falling back onto the bed. Leo just watches with a raised brow and an indiscernible expression.

“I’m sorry. Er-I didn't expect-Oh!” Takumi fumbles for a bit, reaching inside his sleeve for the letter. During which, he notices Leo isn't wearing any armor. He notices the shine of his skin, and the dampness of his clothes. How his clothes were so _tight_ along his-

“Ahem.”

Takumi blinks, his face heating up and his fingers halt as they brush over the envelope.

Leo walks over to him, with all of the practiced grace of a royal, until he has to tilt his eyes downward to stare into Takumi’s. It isn't until then when Takumi sees the twisted glare, the corners of his lips turned downward. In the reflection of the russet pools, he sees a blizzard; fierce and unforgiving. No trace of happiness or glee. No recognition. Nothing.

Takumi's blood turns cold.

“Will we have a problem?”

“W-wha-“

“You were staring.” He _tsks_ before sighing, exasperated, as if there were much better things to do with his time.

Takumi’s fingers clench and tremble over the envelope and, for a second, he's worried he's going to crumple it.

Leo levels a stare that could melt steel and Takumi nearly flinches.

“Let’s get this out of the way.” Leo starts, demeaning, frigid and Takumi braces himself. “You and I are _not_ going to be friends.”

Takumi feels the world around him blur, time stops and he feels tears prick the corner of his eyes but he wills them down, schooling his expression to match Leo’s icy bitterness. The limbs on his arm curl defiantly, pain searing across his chest and the magic screams in his ears. _Tell him_. They shriek. 

But he doesn’t. Instead, he glares back, indignant and stubborn. Puffing up his chest against the other prince’s before growling, low and full of an animosity he doesn’t recognize.

“What a coincidence! I was just thinking the same thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, I guess I should apologize for all this angst?? I didn't really mean for it to turn out like this, with the initial concept being a fluffy soulmate au. ;-;
> 
> Oh well. Next chapter should be the last chapter of angst before it will ebb away into the fluff. Which I'm _extremely_ excited for.


	4. The Missing Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an early chapter, because I've been feeling inspired lately and wanted to post something before December. :)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Art was done by me!

_Takumi bursts through the wooden doors to Corrin’s chambers; eyes blazing with fury and determination._

_Corrin drops the tea she had been holding, and the porcelain shatters when it hits the floor._

_“T-Takumi, wha-“_

_“Does he have a mark!”_

_It comes out more as a command rather than a question. His fists are held stiffly at his sides and his posture is defensive. Aggravation bites at his gut and his features twisted into a glower, though he isn’t angry at Corrin. Not really._

_Corrin takes a step back, her own expression passive._

_“Takumi, I don’t understan-“_

_“Does Leo have a mark!” He screams. Magic shrieks in his ears and the branches curl tightly around his arm._

_Corrin’s eyes widen before she looks down._

_“I don’t-he’s never…”_

_Tattoos were a special event, no matter the affiliated country, tribe, or province. They were incredibly rare and, as a result, getting one was an extraordinary affair. Depending on the circumstances, at least one person had to know. He’d gone through all the available list of candidates before approaching Corrin. According to her stories, her and Leo were very close. She was trustworthy. Not only that, her…circumstances, slimmed down the chances of a rumor being spread throughout the castle and Nohrian city surrounding it. If she didn't know, then Leo didn't have one._

_Corrin stumbles over her words for a bit before regaining composure, fiddling with the end of her cape, suddenly fixated with the corner of her room before answering, resolute and deafening in the eery silence of her quarters._

_“I don’t know.”_

~~~~~~~~~~

In the darkness of his tent, Takumi rereads his letter, pouring over every earnest word and honest sentence. He wanted to crumple it up. Tear it to shreds. But every time he tried, he could never bring himself to do so. 

Orochi and him talked once about couples that only shared one tattoo between them. They were near unheard of if not for the very few cases that were recorded. Such happenings ended in tragedy or unrequited love. A lifetime of suffering. 

He’d poured his heart into these words, but maybe that was the problem. Perhaps he had been too earnest. 

He places the letter face down on his desk.

~~~~~~~~~~

Physical disputes became a common occurrence in the once peaceful astral plane. Takumi had broken up at least three since the two armies joined forces, and promises of more due to high tensions had everyone on edge.

Ryoma and Xander had initiated a plan to segregate the opposed forces in order to alleviate the conflict. Corrin had vehemently objected, but the voice of the two older princes had quickly overpowered her own.

It wasn't often he disagreed with his older brother. But he could honestly say things were much worse than when they started.

~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi saunters through the empty mess hall. The sun had not yet risen over the horizon. The air was crisp with morning dew and the once jet sky was beginning to turn shades of navy blue.

Takumi was exhausted, having been frightened awake by his nightmares. He’d been much too afraid to fall back asleep, choosing instead to wander around the training grounds, the small mineral pond and the mess hall 

He’d eventually settled into the kitchen, boiling tea.

The clatter of a pot startles him out of his sleep deprived stupor. Leo ambles up beside him, placing a filled coffee pot on a separate hook over the hearth.

The Nohrian prince looked about as lethargic as him. Takumi notices the bags under his eyes, his listless stare, his slouched form and Takumi feels sympathy, warm and inviting in his gut. Seeing his soulmate so vulnerable was unfamiliar to Takumi and it sent unpleasant spikes down his spine. 

He wanted to say something. Ask how he was doing. Maybe find out what kept the sleepy prince up. Perhaps he was also plagued with nightmares. Or maybe he was kept up by work. The prince had made a wonderful strategist ever since he joined, but that title often included pouring over battle plans, taking stock of the armory, keeping track of two separate armies soldiers and their schedules as well as other, less notable tasks. It must be an exhausting job.

He wanted so badly to touch him. Hug him. Tell him good morning. These urges weren't unfamiliar. Orochi had told him it was common between people who knew their soulmates.

Leo suddenly notices his staring and regards him with an icy glare before venturing to the furthest side of the kitchen to retrieve an apple, solemnly reminding Takumi of the fact that they were on unwelcome terms. The prince’s doing everything in their power to avoid the other since their first confrontation. Gods new Takumi had to accept that his soulmate didn’t know him. Maybe he never would. 

Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and break this intolerable silence.

“Leo.” He starts. Neutral. Calm. Not wholly unwelcome. It was a start.

“It’s _prince_ Leo.”

Takumi freezes, shoulders stiff, hissing through gritted teeth, “ _What?_ ” Suddenly, his passivity is replaced with ire.

“ _Prince._ My title?” Leo sighs, rolling his eyes, “Are such concepts too difficult for you to grasp.”

A statement rather than a question. Absolute in delivery as if the inaccuracies were wholly ignored in favor of a shallow, bias insult. Takumi bristles. He supposes it’s fair to blame the lack of sleep on his frustration but that doesn't stop fury, raw an unfaltering, from rattling through his core, and his throat tightens. His fists tremble at his sides and he squares his shoulders. Leo remains relaxed, his own posture slack and expression passive, as if he hadn't just insulted the other prince. Maybe, he didn't know he had. Somehow, that made Takumi even angrier.

He’d tried his damndest to pretend as if everything was fine. As if he wasn’t heart broken every day by the mere presence of his soulmate. It left him frustrated, depressed, but most of all, it left him angry. Angry at the universe. Angry at the gods. Angry at Leo.

It was only a matter of time before he snapped.

_Fine. If it’s a fight he wants, it’s a fight he's gonna get._

The limbs tighten around his arm. He ignores them.

“I thought a title embodies those who posses them.” Leo regards him then with a raised brow and an upturned nose, his snack forgotten on the counter. “If that’s the case, I don't think the titular role of _prince_ fits in your case.”

Leo’s eyes narrow just slightly, and he opens his mouth but Takumi beats him to the punch, “In fact, I think a more apt comparison would be with that of an _ass._ ”

Leo immediately glowers, eyes boring into his. Ice versus fire. Leo takes a step towards him. The limbs on his arm tremble. He keeps going.

“Let’s see…You’re both incredibly stubborn-“

Another step.

“You both have an unnerving affinity for dirt and grime-“

Another step. 

“You have nothing good to say, and whatever you do say is raucous and grating-“

Another step. Leo is in right in front of him now.

“But most of all-“ Takumi tips his head upwards, meeting the ceaseless fury in Leo’s eyes. A merciless blizzard meets a wrathful wildfire in a disorienting battle for dominance. The limbs on Takumi’s arm still.

“-you’re both **foul animals.** ” All at once, magic wails in his ears in a cacophonous embrace. The limbs crack and splinter into his skin, causing searing pain to fan out from his right side. He’d have cried out if it weren't for the hands around his neck.

Leo had lunged forward, latching, painfully, around his jugular, pushing Takumi against the nearest wall with strength Takumi was not expecting from the thin mage.

“That’s a lot of talk coming from a Hoshidan mutt.” The knight growls low into his ear, reverberating throughout his body. Takumi shivers but does not relent.

“That’s-“ Takumi chokes out, wrapping his own hands around the mages, relieving some of the pressure, “a generous term coming from-“ my soulmate. He nearly says. Instead, he tightens his jaw and glares before snarling, “-a bastard!”

Takumi pushes his knee upward, hitting the prince’s stomach. The mage kneels, coughing for air and Takumi takes this time to lunge forward. The magic in his ears is deafening, the pain in his arm is unbearable and Takumi recognizes the burn of tears sliding down his cheeks as his fist connects with the mages lip.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Takumi sits on his bed, head buried in his knees and arms wrapped around his legs. Bruises littered his neck and some dotted his face. Scorch marks twisted and splotched on his clothes from the mage nearly pushing him into the hearth. He'd retaliated with a swift punch to Leo’s face. He's pretty sure he gave his soulmate a black eye.

He’d cried enough tears since then. The earlier trails still drying on his cheeks. 

He felt horrible although he presumes that’s a given.

They must have been at it for hours but logic dictates it was more like ten minutes before an unassuming Felicia nearly had to freeze the princes to a standstill in order for them to stop. It wasn't long after that that he'd been heavily accosted by Ryoma. Hinoka looking on disappointedly. The Nohrian family appeared to have the same plans for Leo, but he had readily admitted it was his fault before such a conundrum could happen. It wasn't necessarily a lie. He had punched first. He’d made sure to describe such details to Xander, all with shame gnawing at every word. Eventually, Xander stopped him before dismissing all the other siblings save for Leo. Something about talking with him privately. He’d been rather polite with sending Takumi away given he'd just fought his brother. Nevertheless, he bowed and left without another word. Leo had stayed disarmingly silent throughout the whole ordeal. No accusations. No confounded statements of inaccurate situations. Nothing. It unnerved Takumi greatly.

When he'd left the mess hall, he'd made a beeline for his quarters, ignoring his retainers worried glances and Leo’s own retainers’ glares. 

He needed to be alone.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t find her.”

“Can’t find who-“

“Momo! I can’t find Momo!”

Three days after the fight found Takumi, groggy and half awake standing in front of a frantic Orochi on the outside of his tent. A worried Sakura standing behind her.

“Ok…Let’s get this straight-“ He yawns, rubbing his eyes, “-you brought Momo _here_ -“

“Yes! Of course I brought Momo here! What did you expect?! Leave her with _Yukimura?!_ -“

“Ok, ok-“

“Are you _serious?!_ ”

“Alright! I get it!”

Takumi sighs, massaging his temples, “Ok, I’ll help.”

Both Sakura and Orochi smile out of appreciation and relief.

“So, where do you want me to look?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Apparently, where they wanted him to look was all the way on the Nohrian side of the astral plane. 

Takumi stumbles through the icy darkness, wrapped in his furs, with nothing but a small candle to light his path. It seemed to be darker here, he notices, with the candles reach only extending a few feet in front of him. He should have taken a torch, he admonishes.

He sighs, his breath puffing out in white clouds before disappearing in the murky haze.

The Nohrian camp was much the same as the Hoshidan side, with tents interspersed in orderly lines throughout the plane about a foot apart from each other. Takumi had already checked the Nohrian armory and the convoy but turned up with nothing. It was still incredibly late, which meant nobody was up and about. Nobody to ask about the whereabouts of a missing cat. 

To be fair, Takumi was just as worried for Momo as Sakura and Orochi were. He remembered Sakura coming to his room in a tearful frenzy, drenched and shivering, with a small bundle of fur in her arms. Apparently, she had heard mewling out by the gardens. It was rainy season then, but that didn't stop her from rushing out in a torrential downpour to save a sick and injured kitten. He was only twelve and had no idea what he was doing nursing the kitten back to health, with Sakura mostly guiding him through the entire process, despite her young age. Eventually, through some miraculous stroke of luck and prayer, the kitten healed. Throughout all those years, Momo must have taken a liking to Orochi as well, as she was either always hanging around the Diviner, Sakura or him. It didn't really matter. She had become a welcome addition to the family. Treasured even. It pained him greatly to think of her lost. 

He trekked onward, dismissing any grim possibilities. They would find her. 

As he headed for the wheat fields, in hopes of finding the cat hunting some pesky moles, he notices a lit tent just up ahead. It burned bright like a beacon of hope and he rushes forward. Maybe he could employ their help? If someone was awake at this hour surely they could spare some of their time. Under normal circumstances, he would have hesitated to ask the Nohrians for any favors, but this was different. He was exhausted, and cold, and worried. 

As Takumi approaches however, he notices a figure outside of the tent. As he draws closer, hope is replaced with dread as he recognizes the same black headband he'd seen so many times before. Leo is crouched down in front of his tent, the light outlining his form in a white blaze, illuminating his hair and face. Even in the dusk, Takumi could note the splotchy black underneath his left eye and the way the light shone off his swollen lip. In front of him is Momo, who paws at Leo’s front as the mage's hands affectionately run through her fur. His shirt is open revealing the pale expanse of his chest, the belt loosened and the fabric wrinkled. He must have been sleeping.

Leo must have heard him approach, because his eyes snap up and meet his, glowing, like burning embers in the twilight. Takumi’s throat seizes up.

Momo, who also notices his approach, abandons the mage in favor of pawing at the archers heels. Takumi takes the hint and picks her up, hugging her tightly against his chest, praying Leo doesn't say anything and forgets he was even here. However, just as he turns to leave, he hears the prince's voice, tired and a bit quiet for curtesy, “What’s her name?”

Takumi turns his head toward Leo, who, for some reason, refuses to make eye contact.

“Momo.”

“Mo…mo?” Is his reply, though he doesn't sound bothered. Just confused.

“Yeah, um-it’s Hoshidan for peach.”

“Oh.” 

“Yeah it’s…” _Shut up. Shut up. Shut up._ “-my sisters favorite food.”

Leo hums. “So she’s your sister’s cat.”

“Well, she’s more of a family cat.” _What are you doing?!_

Leo still refuses to meet his gaze and the lull in the conversation gives Takumi a chance to survey the mage's chest for any hints of ink. He finds none. Only a couple bruises on his otherwise immaculate body. The skin underneath his shirt, being paler than the rest of him, seems to reflect the candlelight making him appear almost spectral. 

“We,” Leo starts, startling Takumi who nearly drops Momo, “have a cat.”

Takumi raises a brow. _Why is he…_ ”Oh?”

“His name is Oscar.”

“Did you…”

Leo shakes his head, breathing out an airy laugh which streams out in white wisps into the night sky, “No. He’s still at the castle.” It’s then that he realizes Leo is shivering, though his jaw is set to prevent his teeth from chattering. 

“You’re cold.” He blurts before he can stop himself, “Don’t you have a coat?”

Leo turns his head to regard him curiously before nodding, “Yes, well-It’s a cloak and it’s thin…I um-“ Takumi didn't think he’d ever see the prince stumble over his words. “I didn’t…expect it to be this cold.”

The day Takumi had arrived, the weather had been so drastically different in the astral plane that he’d had trouble adapting to the unfamiliar cold at night. He’d had more time to adjust since then, of course, but Leo had just arrived. Maybe this was what kept him up at night.

“Well,” Takumi starts, swallowing the lump forming in his throat, “if it bothers you so much, I could lend you some of my furs.”

Takumi faces away from him then, too embarrassed to face him directly. Momo squirms in his arms.

“Why?” He faintly hears, reticent and disbelieving.

“Because it’s cold?”

“No, not that.” He feels thin fingers carefully grab his arm before he’s being turned around, “I’ve been… _terrible_ to you and yet you’re…”

The sentence tapers off into the wind but he seems to understand what is unspoken before he answers, whispering into Momo’s fur, “I haven't been pleasant to you either.”

Leo’s brows are furrowed and the grip on his arm is soft, unlike the vice he had on his throat three days prior.

“That’s not the same. You’ve been…amicable when we’ve talked. It’s just,” Leo wets his bottom lip. His tongue ghosting over the splotch of swollen red where Takumi’s knuckle had connected. “I haven't really been trying. To get along, that is.” 

He sighs, shoulders slacking, “Perhaps I wasn't privy to the idea of joining forces. It all seemed so…childish. Idealizations of two united kingdoms fighting a greater evil? Naive. But…this isn't the first time I've been wrong.”

Another sigh, long and drawn out, “I guess, I was wrong about you as well…which is why I would like to apologize.”

Takumi was not expecting this. He searches his eyes for any hints of deceit, any signs that pointed to this being some sort of sick joke, but all he sees is honesty, true and sincere, reflected back in those hazel pools. Warmth travels along his arm, stemming from where Leo still gripped his bicep, and the magic hums in his ears a pleasant melody.

“Ok.”

Leo raises his eyes to meet his, a lonely cold meeting the inviting fire’s warm embrace. “What?” And somehow, Leo still had the nerve to sound incredulous, despite his answer.

“Ok.” Takumi repeats, a bit louder this time. More confident. “But we can’t forget what happened.”

Leo looks down, and for a moment, Takumi thinks he sees shame before it's quickly replaced with neutrality.

”Of course.”

“But, as you’ve said, we can _try._ ” 

Leo nods, his back straightening and hands folded behind his back, a bit awkward but diplomatic. Polite. Handsome. And now, as the light of the moon washes brilliant silver over his hair, and the blaze of the candle sets fire to his eyes, casting a resplendent glow along his skin, he could confidently add _beautiful_ to that list.

“For now,” Takumi begins, swallowing down the blossoming affection in his throat, “let’s get you a blanket.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing but fluff ahead!
> 
> PSA: Updates may slow down as it approaches the holidays.


	5. A Progression of Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lateness. The holidays came around and messed with my motivation. Also, life has been busy as of late which also screwed me up.
> 
> But I'm repaying your patience with the longest chapter ever!!!
> 
> You guys deserve it!!

Takumi had undoubtedly caught wind of rumors circulating the various Nohrian cliques throughout the army, with his name being passed around at the mess hall, and hasty glances being made his way wherever he seemed to go. Orochi had told him Nohrians had an insatiable appetite for gossip, granted he knew what he did to warrant such attention. Nonetheless, he expects talk to be another constant in his life he'd just have work around for the time being.

~~~~~~~~~~

When he is assigned work in the kitchens, Takumi eagerly gets started despite only being mediocre when it comes to cooking. He always found mundane tasks such as cleaning dishes and preparing food to be relaxing. If only as an escape from the tediousness of war and from his own dismal thoughts. In the background, he hears the cheerful humming and careful skips of Elise before he sees her skip up beside him. 

It wasn't unusual to see the various soldiers drop by for the occasional fruit or vegetable. Basically, whatever was lying on the nearest counter. So far, Subaki and Hinata had been the only occupants this morning, with the latter loudly complaining that there was no more jerky. Takumi had silently agreed. They were notably lacking in the meat department and had to rely solely on vegetable stew and rice since the two armies joined forces. 

He’s snapped out of his reveries, nearly cutting himself as he slices a cucumber, when Elise chirps through the silence, “So, I heard you gave Leo some blankets!”

Takumi halts midway through a slice and stares down Elise inquisitively, who only beams.

“Er-Yeah. He seemed to have trouble sleeping because of the cold.” He responds dismissively, hoping he sounds more aloof than he actually felt.

Elise just hums, her hand fiddling with the end of her skirt, before he realizes that she was shivering as well. Suddenly, it all clicks into place. “Y’know, I could give you a coat as well.” Elise perks up, eyes wide with surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s not really a big deal.” He waves his hand flippantly. The prince never would have guessed Nohrians would be so susceptible to the cold. He had always assumed it was colder in Nohr due to the darkness but, now that he looks back on it, the weather, during the few battles fought in Nohr, were rather mild. It still lacked in comparison to Hoshido’s heat, but, then again, he doesn't think it’s ever been this cold since the time they fought in the northernmost regions of Nohr, where the Ice Tribe resides. The astral plane seemed to grow ever colder as winter approaches, and the sheer fabric of Elise’s coat would do nothing for the wind chill. In hindsight, most of them had come underprepared for the weather as both Takumi’s retainers and siblings had asked him for extra blankets and furs and, to be honest, he had a surplus. When he'd just joined he'd mostly been tasked with hunting and tasks were easier to divvy between soldiers due to the small size of the army, and supplies were readily available. The time between battles had been longer as well, meaning more time for the tasks at hand. He’d hunted often then, and he'd needed an extra chest to store the skins he couldn't sell. In the end, it wouldn't matter if he gave Elise some furs.

When he’d turned back to his task, Elise had grappled onto the second prince in an excited embrace, cheering a stream of _thank you’s_. Takumi awkwardly accepts it, arms stiffly splayed at his sides before Elise eventually relents, looking up with a bright smile, “Oh! Corrin sent me here!” 

Takumi raises a brow, “And you just remembered?”

“Yep!” Elise shrugs, before continuing, “She said something about a gate?”

Elise grabs a knife and Takumi stiffens, worried she might cut herself. Instead, she twists the knife delicately in her hand, “She wants you transferred to the hunting unit.”

“Hunting…unit?”

“Mmhm! As soon as possible!” She says, matter-of-factly. “Oh! I think it has something to do with the northern forest region?”

The northern forest of Nohr was the largest forested region north of the Bottomless Canyon, extending along the edge of the country and fanning inward, and it was famous for its enormous trees and hardy game. It had always been a dream of his to hunt there.

“So she wants me to travel through a separate gate?” Takumi had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Lilith could open gates to separate locations anywhere around the world. It was something he still hadn't quite grown accustomed too.

“Yes! Well…Technically it was Leo’s idea.”

Takumi freezes. “L-Prince Leo?”

Elise shoos him to the side, sliding a stool to his last position, before assuming his previous task of slicing vegetables, “Yep! He said he wanted to ‘expend your talents elsewhere.’” She quotes with a deeper, more poised, tone of voice.

Takumi’s face warms and he tries not to think about Leo’s surprise when he opened the chest filled with the finest furs he’d accumulated over his time spent in Corrin’s army. 

Leo may not have known, but he'd given him some of his most prized trophies then. 

“As of now,” Elise begins, startling Takumi out of his trance, “you are also appointed head of the hunting division! Which means your in charge of all units and game management. You’ll oversee cleaning and take part in distributing rations and fare collected, yada yada…” She waves the knife around and Takumi has the urge to swoop in and grab it.

“Who-who all is in the unit?”

Elise hums pensively, bring a petite finger to her lip, “Niles, and about four more new recruits? I think that’s all!”

It was a small team, but he'd be in charge. A leader.

“Of course, you'll be able to employ more archers in the future buuuuuut for now…”

“It’s a test.” 

“Exactly! Prince Ryoma and Xander have started repealing curfews, merging separate areas so that soldiers can interact with one another, they've assigned Leo to handle all the different subdivisions that are gonna be sprouting up…Basically, making everyone work together so that they get along.”

“Huh.” Takumi says absently, too busy running through the various assignments he would need to do, as well as what to assign his own units. He was already halfway across the room.

Behind him Elise hums and he turns toward her, a thank you ready on his lips but the smaller princess beats him to it.

“Don’t thank me. Thank Leo! He was so eager to show off this particular plan, saying how perfect it would be and how valuable your skills are…”

Takumi feels his face burning again and he looks away. Happiness spreads throughout his core, fanning pleasant warmth along the branches inked into his skin. Magic hums pleasantly in his ears.

“You know, he really is sorry about everything that happened.” 

Takumi is caught off guard at the door.

“He also really appreciates those furs you lent him.”

“I know.” Takumi says after a while of struggling with forming a coherent response, “He’s said as much.”

“I know.” Elise echoes. The steady chopping of the blade hitting the cutting board and the crackling of wood in the hearth being the only sounds in the silence.

In that moment, the younger princess looked older, even if she needed a stool to comfortably reach the countertop. 

“I guess I’ll get those coats. Think you could handle yourself?”

Elise puffs her cheeks and glares, though it lacked any actual ire, sticking out her tongue. 

Takumi chuckles as he walks out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi stares at the mahogany and ivory wood of an old Nohrian chess board. The morning light casts a vanilla glow along the intricate divots and carvings. Although, he'd never seen a Nohrian chess set in person, it looked expensive. It probably was.

It wasn't often someone was graced with time alone, and to most denizens of the astral plane, such time was a blessing. To Takumi however, he'd describe it as dangerous. Such is the cost for loneliness, and his dwellings often strayed into the dire and dark. The constant prickling on his arm doing nothing to dissuade his thoughts, only amplifying them more. He’d tried to find solace in the pages of a book, and it’d worked, until the black of the ink had become too straining to bare and he was left with the aforementioned book in his lap as he gazed listlessly at the board in front of him. 

Perhaps it was a bad idea to stay awake all night, but his nightmares were getting worse and terror had driven him to the library where he waited in a desperate attempt to chase off sleep, resulting in lackluster days, where time seems hauntingly slower than normal, and more time alone, something he'd always hated but could never really avoid. 

Corrin was cracking down on surveying the foreign Valla land, constantly sending out patrols to get a better lay of the strange, ever-changing landscape. Ryoma and Xander, meanwhile, were in charge of managing and enforcing the new system, put in place, and suggested, by Leo whom has been mysteriously absent as far as Takumi was concerned, but he supposes this is for the best. Thus, everyone was busy. So much so, that Takumi barely had time with his friends and, at the end of the day, it was too late to bother them anyway. However, Takumi couldn't really fault the system. Fights had diminished to none, and morale had risen significantly now that everyone was beginning to work together; the earlier tension beginning to ebb away into mutual trust, and they all had Leo to thank for that.

The branches on his arm suddenly constrict at the sound of the library door opening. Takumi swallows down the dryness in his throat and wipes at his eyes, which stung from staring. 

Leo- _of course_ -saunters into the library, steaming mug clutched closely near his chest, as if it was his only lifeline and the ebony metal of his armor brightly reflects the morning sun as Takumi feels a wave of pity wash over him. He’d read up on Nohrian armor during the time Hoshido and Nohr were still enemies. It was extremely heavy, with multiple stories of soldiers collapsing from heat stroke or flat out exhaustion before battles. Briefly, he wonders how Leo manages the heavy metal before his eyes settle on his collar and he nearly snorts aloud. All hints of pity disappearing in favor of amusement. Through all of Corrin’s stories and through all the doubt of their integrity, Takumi never would have believed after meeting the _genius_ mage knight that he would _ever_ do something as foolish as put his collar on backwards. Apparently, Takumi needed to give Corrin-and her stories-more credit.

Leo eyes the library, squinting precariously at the wooden shelves with an unabashed sour look that can only be attributed to morning grumpiness, as if they somehow had a vendetta against the Nohrian royal family; as if they were the reason everything was wrong in the world; as if they had committed some sort of personal treason against him. 

It was kind of adorable. 

It didn't take but a swift sweep of the small library for Leo to notice him and Takumi had to quickly avert his gaze to the knight piece his fingers had automatically begun fiddling with.

Curiously, or unluckily in Takumi’s mind, the clacking of plate mail drew closer, and with each step, the thrum of magic pulsed louder in his ears.

“I wasn't expecting anyone here.” Leo approaches, hand outstretched, gesturing to the chair facing him. Immediately, Takumi catches on to the fading bruise under his eye. 

“May I?” He says, practiced and poised yet still sounding stiff and awkward, as if approaching a stranger. Perhaps, in his eyes, he was.

Takumi hums a “Go on.” although his eyes strayed to rest on the cover of his book. Takumi had the heart not to outright laugh between Leo’s overtly stoic demeanor and his inside-out collar. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and remained expressionless, remembering Leo’s dour countenance when he entered the library. Takumi did not want to risk resurfacing that earlier ire over something so redundant. So, for the best of them both, he remained silent.

“ _Ethics._ ”

It took a few seconds and a blank stare for Takumi to finally recognize the name of his book repeated back to him and he peers up at Leo who had just sat down, stiff and awkward.

“You’re interested in philosophy?”

Takumi nods, swallowing the lump in his throat, “I enjoy Introspection mainly…It’s one of my favorite topics actually.”

“Curious.”

“How so?”

“Well, philosophy is also a favorite of mine as well.”

A terse silence follows, aside from the careful tapping of Leo’s finger against the porcelain of his mug. Delicate ribbons dance off the inky surface of the coffee, without a trace of cream or milk. Takumi nearly shudders. How Nohrians even drank the stuff daily was beyond him.

“I’m glad I ran into you, actually.” _Oh no._

Takumi stiffens and leans back in his chair. In the most awful recesses of his consciousness, he hoped for this to be a good thing, but he knew better.

“You see, we still haven't received a report for last week…” _Oh._

Takumi relaxes. In truth, he'd finished the report last night. They'd more than achieved their quota, which meant more to record. He’d simply forgotten to run it by Ryoma.

“I’ll hand it over to Ryoma this morning.”

“Right, well…if it’s too much for you-“

Indignation stems from behind his heart, constricting his chest and he grits out a “ _What?_ ”

“I’m just saying, I could shift your position to someone else if- “

“I can handle this!” He nearly shouts, the fingers clutching the wooden knight tighten as well as his grip on the table edge. 

Immediately, anger shifts to shame as Leo’s brows furrow in surprise and irritation. The archer turns his eyes downward and the gentle coil of branches on his arm tightens as thorns puncture his skin.

Takumi expects an icy remark, shallow and callous. What he gets, however, is a sigh.

“You’re right.” He appeases, “I apologize if I overstepped my assumptions. You're incredibly accomplished at what you do and, because of that, this army has benefitted immeasurably.”

Takumi feels warmth rush directly to his cheeks. He certainly wasn't expecting the onslaught of praise but he, embarrassingly enough, readily welcomed it. The branches loosen and curl, and he scratches over his clothed bicep both out of nervousness and from where the thorns pricked his skin. Leo’s eyes follow the movement.

“However, I would like to address your insomnia.” 

Takumi’s eyes widen, and he gawks up at Leo who chuckles.

“H-how-“

“It doesn't take a scholar to see that you don't get enough sleep. I merely want to rectify the situation.”

“I don’t…think this is something you can just fix.”

“Oh? Surely there must be something we can do.”

“Well, it’s…not really…insomnia, I don't think.”

Takumi was avoiding eye contact now. His face a furious red as he looks anywhere but at Leo, who sits patiently at the other end, brow raised but not in ridicule. More so, out of interest.

“Then what has been keeping you up at night?”

“Ugh…” Takumi looks around, scoping to make sure nobody else was in the room. As soon as he’s sure the coast is clear, he turns back toward Leo, who now very clearly looks worried.

“…N-nightmares…” He says meekly, just above a whisper. 

“I’m sorry? Did you say nightmares?”

Takumi nods, face burning. In short, he expected taunting for something so trivial. It was childish, after all. He didn't even know why he was disclosing such private information to Leo of all people. Perhaps his overall cordialness was winning him over. He was acting extremely friendly all of a sudden but, then again, they had agreed to start over on good terms. Or maybe it was his collar.

“Oh. That’s it?…ok, I thought…ok.” And for some reason Leo seemed…relieved? “Well, there’s certainly something we could do.”

“I doubt it. I’ve tried everything. Medicines, remedies, even charms that are supposed to bring good dreams.”

“Perhaps magic could help. I’m familiar with some spells that can shift and banish particular thoughts. If these night terrors are truly becoming a problem then maybe I could create a ward against them.”

“I…don’t know. That sounds kinda dangerous.”

“Yes, in their physical form, these tomes could…potentially be weaponized but a ward is hardly problematic-”

“I still don't feel good about this.”

“Of course someone inexperienced in the magical field would believe so but I assure you it’s completely safe.”

Takumi sighs. So far, Leo seemed completely sincere. Not to mention his magical capabilities were second to none and the prospect of having at least a couple nights sleep without running off somewhere in fear was intoxicating.

“Alright.” Leo smirks in his apparent victory. It was that small smirk he’d always hated before but was now coming to enjoy.

“Give me a couple weeks so I can sort things out.”

Takumi hums as Leo sighs, turning the wooden knight over in his hands before turning his head toward the light and letting the morning sunbeams wash warmth over his skin. It was a comfortable silence that followed, with Leo taking occasional sips of his coffee here and there. 

“Care for a game?” Leo says finally. He taps the darker pawn on the wooden surface of the board.

“Chess?”

“Yes. Are you familiar?”

“Not really.”

“Then perhaps I could teach you.” 

“You’re pretty confident in your skills.”

“Of course. Why wouldn't I be?”

Takumi eyes the mages collar, and the magic in his ears hums along with his amusement.

“No reason. Just…is one of those skills perception.”

The mage peers at him curiously before following the archers eyesight, immediately recognizing that the purple of his cape was not in fact the familiar dark blue. In an instant, Takumi watches the, normally, composed second prince cry out an expletive in what sounded like overwhelming frustration before he covers his face with his hands and, through it all, Takumi could faintly make out the muffled words of “Not again.” before the archer is consumed with laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~

After careful observation, Takumi could confidently assure that his soulmate was _charming_ in all sense of the word. 

Just last week, the archer had wandered over to the sparring grounds, having lost another nights worth of sleep, just as the sun's light set fire to the horizon as it ascended, finding the prince wielding a tree branch against his little sister, who was also wielding a comically large tree branch. Despite the hilarity of the situation, Leo was in a traditional duelist pose, and, for a moment, Takumi wondered if this was for training purposes, just as his brother taught him, until an “En garde!” was shouted by Elise before she charges, limb flailing, lacking any traditional stance and Leo laughs, unrestrained and open, his breath puffing up in white clouds, disappearing with the breeze. He casually, almost derisively, side steps away from Elise’s attack, cloak fanning out dramatically in front of the smaller sibling as she stumbles forward, her own giggles disappearing in the wind. They were locked in a war of sorts, although it was clear who was the better in terms of skill. Still, Elise steeled herself and rushes forward, and, when both limbs clack in a stalemate, Takumi wonders if he should be witnessing such a private sight. He ends up retreating to the mess hall, feeling lighthearted.

Another point was that Leo ate tomatoes with _every_ meal. Garnished, as a side, stuffed, spiced, pureed, as a soup, juiced as a refreshment, _raw_. It was ridiculous and it would be downright disgusting if it weren't for the fact that it only made Leo more _delightful_ in Takumi’s eyes.

_They had too much in common_. Takumi once found him bent uncomfortably on a mess hall table after a war council meeting, papers splayed and dinner uneaten, a lone candle lights the dreary scene. It was late and Takumi would have thought him dead if it weren't for the rhythmic rise and fall of his form. It was depressing how familiar this was. Even through small chats and careful observations he could see how he scrambled for his siblings affections, vying for validation at every turn. His almost scary proficiency in magic, his prowess with the sword, his overeagerness to accept any and all tasks laid bare to him, his almost never-ending amount of skills, all of it could be attributed to his overwhelming need for acceptance. Takumi was all too familiar; the striving and then the imminent crash and burn. Takumi warily removes the blanket he'd lent him off the back of the chair and spreads it over his shoulders. After their initial chess match, Leo had cordially invited him to another, exclaiming how easy it was for them to talk and how remarkable it was to find someone with such similar tastes. In truth, while Leo had acted in surprise when Takumi divulged his comparable interests, it had been unsurprising on Takumi’s part. They were soulmates after all. Takumi wished that they would have less in common for both of their sakes. Especially now, as he sleeps, where he would most likely wake up cold and hungry and alone and feeling useless. If only he knew but Takumi was a coward, and he couldn't bare the thought of his soulmate not having a tattoo, nor the depressing implications that would surely come afterwards. So, perhaps it was for the best. He had bound his arm and chest as soon as he recognized the warmth in his heart, too ashamed to look at it and too scared of the future it would bring.

Takumi spent most of the last couple of years envisioning his soulmate, wondering what they even looked like. When he had found out, he'd been apprehensive at first, but Corrin’s stories shed a new light on Leo he'd never thought possible. It was a small interest, brought about by past confrontations and stories he'd thought of as hyperbolic. But seeing those stories, everything about them, come to fruition with the real Leo, was something dizzying and he found that with each quirk, interest, mannerism, _everything_ , he was starting to feel a little more than base interest. 

Perhaps he'd been in love from the very beginning, as superficial as it was. All he knew was that he was in too deep.

~~~~~~~~~~

“How was that book I’d given you?”

“Pretty good. How about the one I lent you?”

“It was fascinating.”

“Good.”

“ _Got a little book exchange in here, have we?_ ”

Both princes let out startled noises and Takumi drops the spoon he'd been using to stir the stew.

Leo turns an accusatory glare at Niles who smiles passively in return. 

“No, my friend and I were just inquiring about the latest texts we’d lent each other.”

“So…a book exchange.” Niles says, brow raised, arms crossed and wicked smile, “Also, your _friend_?”

Takumi looks toward Leo who only sighs in vexation, “Yes, I’ve found great companionship in Takumi. Now,” he adds quickly, “why are you here Niles?”

“ _What_? A humble servant can’t simply chat with his lordship?” He exclaims, in feigned interest. Takumi rolls his eyes.

Niles continues to stare between the two of them before his features turn to shock and he brings a hand to his mouth, gasping, “Am I being _replaced_?” with embellished distress.

Leo sighs for the umpteenth time, “Did you just come here to harass us, Niles?”

The man smiles cruelly, his canine barred making him appear almost wolfish, “ _Oh, milord!_ You know me _so_ well but, if you so wish to be alone with your… _friend_ , then I will see that it shall be done.” He clicks his tongue, and gives Takumi a passing leer before disappearing behind the kitchen door.

Takumi watches him leave and, seconds after he's out the door, turns to Leo who casually leans back against the counter.

“I…can’t believe I'm saying this but I feel bad now.”

“For who? Niles?” Leo stares at the door, “He’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Besides, I’d like to spend my time with you, as well.”

Takumi ignores the burning in his cheeks and stares at a spot on the kitchen wall, “You already spend a lot of time with me.”

“And is that a bad thing?” Leo frowns and looks him over, “I enjoy our time together.”

“No! Yeah-I do too.” Takumi stumbles, trying his best to ignore the crawling on his arm.

Leo doesn't say anything for a moment, letting the relative silence of the kitchen wash over them. It was late into the evening, and the sun was beginning to retreat back into the trees. The entire kitchen was ablaze in the golden glow of the sun and hearth. Wood crackling and the simmering of food was the only noise.

“You know,” leo starts, breaking the lull, “It’s…not often I find company the likes of which I enjoy and crave. You’re a good friend.”

Takumi’s heart beats to the sound of a symphony in his ears. Magic runs electric up and down his spine and he nearly chokes on his own breath. To distract himself, he takes the spoon and begins prodding at the meat and vegetables.

“I-I think you’re a good friend too.” He says, and he tries not to sound too breathless.

Leo, who breathes out a chuckle, pushes two bowls near the cooking pot, “You know, we could just eat if you’re that hungry.”

Takumi huffs as he takes the bowl in his hands and scoops up the meat and vegetables.

Truth is, he'd been hungry, until about thirty seconds ago. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi didn't know how he got into this situation, cross legged on a patchwork blanket with Elise’s fingers delicately brushing back long ribbons of hair from his face as Sakura watches from the side, mirror in lap.

When Sakura had invited him for a picnic, he was more so expecting a calm afternoon, perhaps polishing the Fujin Yumi and enjoying pleasantry with his sister. He wasn't anticipating the youngest Nohrian princess joining them, nor the surprise at how relaxed Sakura was with her presence. Or maybe he shouldn't be surprised. Sakura got along with anybody, given the chance and a bit of patience. It could be that this was the reason Takumi was so relaxed at the moment as well. He'd only ever allowed close relatives and closer friends to touch his hair, recoiling at a strangers contact. But today he was in a very lax mood and Elise seemed harmless enough. 

Luckily, it wasn't windy, and the mineral pond was a still slate of aquamarine, reflecting the barren willows hanging over the water. They had long since lost their leaves due to the intense cold, growing dormant until spring comes. The light of the sun, now at its zenith, blankets warmth over their bodies making it a pleasantly temperate winter day. Momo streams a contented purr as she rests, curled against Takumi’s thigh and the archer cards his own fingers through her soft fur. Everything was silent, save for Elise and Sakura’s small chattering or a noise of protest every time Elise brushed through a tangled knot or tugged just a bit too hard on a lock of hair.

The vines on his arm constrict and he sucks in a breath.

“Oh! P-Prince Leo! You’re w-welcome t-to join us.”

The aforementioned prince was dressed casually, Byrnhildr faithfully held at his hip, probably out on a stroll before stumbling upon them, and he had the gall to smirk, _the bastard._

“Perhaps I will.” _Damn it!_

He makes his way to Takumi’s side, taking a seat with Momo in between them and setting Brynhildr on the grass. From there, he takes a pale hand and smooths it over Momo’s fur and Takumi nearly has a heart attack when their pinkies brush, sending waves of heat weaving through the intricate limbs painted on his skin.

A strong tug on his scalp causes the archer to jump and wince.

“Ow! Stop pulling so hard!”

“Well, I would if you could stop moving.”

He could hear Leo chuckling and he feels his face flush. He obviously thought of this as payback for laughing at his collar one…two…four times. It wasn't his fault Leo didn't know how to dress himself!

“Done!” Elise suddenly chirps, moving away from him, exclaiming loudly, with her arms outstretched, “Ta-da!”

Sakura lifts the mirror on cue, giggling at her friends boisterousness as Takumi judges Elise’s handiwork.

It was a simple, messy braid, which extended to the middle of his back. Curiously, it looked much simpler than the other braids she had done in the past.

“Y-You look great, b-big brother!”

“Yeah! Really cute!”

He turns his head away bashfully, “I guess…” 

Leo, who'd been eyeing Takumi impassively, looks elsewhere saying, softly, “You’re too modest.”

Whatever that meant, or maybe it meant nothing at all, it still sent pleasant warmth down his spine, causing the branches to curl delightfully around his arm, and the thrum of magic almost a purr in his ears.

“It’s a shame there are no flowers.” Elise says, startling Takumi out of his trance, “You would’ve looked even cuter with a flower crown!”

Takumi snorts as Elise crosses her arms, mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Unless…” She casts her gaze toward Leo, who had remained peculiarly quiet throughout.

But as soon as the princess opens her mouth, a careful, yet stern, “No.” cuts through the eery silence. Leo, who is now facing Elise, crosses his own arms, expression looking reminiscent of a parent scolding a child.

“But-“

“No, Elise.”

“Why not!?”

“Because Brynhildr is a weapon! Not a child’s plaything!”

Brynhildr? Takumi turns toward Sakura who looks just as confused, picking at the dead grass awkwardly as the two siblings continued to bicker. Momo, startled awake by the commotion, abandons her spot beside Takumi and begins making her way toward the water bank, probably searching for small fish to torment.

“You used to do it all the time when we were little!”

“That was different! I was a child, but I have a responsibility, now more than ever, to treat the Divine Weapon as it is. A weapon.” 

Elise surrenders with a huff, turning her back toward her brother, folding her body in a slump and pouting indignantly.

Leo rolls his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, something Takumi easily associated with frustration. But frustration quickly turned to deliberation as his eyes flicked toward Brynhildr and then Takumi before letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

“…Fine.”

Elise, who suddenly perks up, peeking up at her older brother with wide eyes, and exclaiming, in awe, “Really?”

“Ye-“ Leo doesn't finish his sentence before Elise cheers and locks her brother in a hug. Takumi was having a hard time not laughing at the affair, or how quickly Leo submitted for his sister’s joy. It was another element to Leo he'd have to remember and add to the ever growing list of things his soulmate did that he never noticed before but loved.

After his overeager sister pulls off of him and moves next to Sakura, bouncing enthusiastically in place, Leo brushes himself off, acting nonchalant, but Takumi was perceptive enough to notice the adorable flush on his cheeks, grabbing Brynhildr and moving in front of Takumi, who, at seeing him grab the tome, now has worry clawing through his stomach and he reflexively recoils when Leo lifts a hand to the side of his ear, right next to his temple.

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” He says, just above a whisper, the small vibrato sending a crescendo of emotions from the tome on his chest straight down the branches splitting down his arm, and he quivers when he sees his hand raised again, over his right temple. He wanted to trust him. He really did. But as soon as he caught the impossibly bright, intricate shapes of a tome, the same tome on his chest, begin to materialize quite close to his ear, careful reservations turned into outright panic. He could hear the sparks, the hum, the thunder. The same sound he'd heard _that_ day at the shooting range, and Takumi clenches his eyes shut. He was impossibly rigid, and his jaw hurt from gritting his teeth so hard. Takumi could feel the energy, electric and hot, radiate on his skin, although it didn't burn. The branches on his arm seemed to respond and react to his fear, as they coil frightfully around his arm, in a painful constriction, the bark and thorns cutting into his skin. It felt like an eternity, but in actuality must have been a couple seconds for Takumi to feel a weight on his right shoulder. Leo must’ve been reassuring him. His thumb begins rubbing relaxing circles on crook of his neck trying to mitigate his anxiety. The limbs immediately acknowledge his touch, loosening their grip and feeling as if they were fanning upward, toward the warmth of his soulmate, and for a moment, Takumi worries the vines will jump out of his skin, springing forth and wrapping themselves around Leo. The thrum of magic seems less frightening now, as Takumi hones in on Leo’s contact, his body relaxing and he cant help himself for slightly leaning into his hand. He nearly doesn't notice _something_ tangling itself into his hair feeling strikingly similar to fingers running through the long tresses and he feels it as, whatever it was, runs downward tangling in the ribbons of hair Elise styled before it stops and the hum of magic fades.

Leos voice, a shaky, “T-there.” is the first thing he hears before he opens his eyes. Leo’s shadow casts over him, and the sun illuminates a lovely halo around the, for some reason, flushed Nohrian prince, who had the same look of consideration as earlier. Takumi could feel the wind rush out of him. He wanted so badly to tell him. To scream it in his ears. But he couldn’t. He was scared. So scared.

“Wow! You look amazing!” Elise says, startling both of them. Leo, who'd been sitting on his knees in front of the archer, quickly moves to the side, allowing Sakura to hold up the mirror for Takumi to see.

Tangled in his hair were a mess of leaves, vines and stems. Forget-Me-Nots were weaved intermediately through his bangs, and down his braid. Some stems sticking out, or hanging from his head were decorated in the small blue flowers. Others were small and white coriander flowers, spotted with the forget-me-nots. Yellow acacia flowers weave artfully through his braid and stick out from behind his left ear, as do celandine and ambrosia flowers. Above his right ear, a red rose, with stem deliberately spun in his hair and a few more, smaller ones, some orange, some a deep garnet, adorned his braid. Honeysuckle were intertwined among the rose, with the vine hanging down from behind his ear and primrose and tulips of every color fastened into a crown of flowers; colorful and splendid. 

“Beautiful…” He gingerly lifts a finger and feels the velvet petals of the rose.

“T-that's amazing, P-Prince Leo.” Sakura says, her own awe laced through every word.

The aforementioned prince was looking away, pink dusting his cheeks and ears, extending down his neck, “It’s nothing, really.” he dismisses, although it sounded awkward and forced.

“I wouldn't be so modest, prince Leo.” Says Takumi, who's eyes still haven't left the mirror,

“It’s truly amazing.”

~~~~~~~~~~

When Takumi arrived at their meeting spot, right outside the council hall, the sun's light had just diminished behind the boundary, taking with it its warmth. His breath was streaming out in white clouds and he tightens his grip on the blanket around his shoulders. Leo had told him to come in casual wear, which saw him at his wardrobe deliberating for hours about what that meant and what would look good before Oboro, who was merely checking in, had to help him out. In the end, he was wearing a simple hakama over a plain kimono. However, as day shifts into night, he was starting to regret coming out in the first place as the light fabric was doing nothing to protect him from the cold. But Leo had been incredibly eager and Takumi didn't have the heart to deny him, not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind in the first place.

Looking back, today had been an eventful day, with his family, along with most of the army, throwing him a massive surprise party followed by a huge feast. Apparently, Corrin was the orchestrator in this affair which…made sense given how far from Hoshidan tradition this was. Especially, with New Years on the horizon. Although, this rather western approach to celebrating ones birthday was welcome. It was…nice even, being appreciated. No matter how selfish it made him seem, Takumi had loved every second of it. Now if only Leo hadn't up and disappeared. 

_Speaking of…_

Just as the telltale coil of limbs on his arm tightens, he turn his head and spots the prince trotting towards him with his usual casual garment, a hooded cloak plus the thick furs he'd lent him wrapped around his shoulders. Takumi has to stifle a laugh.

“You look ridiculous.” He says, as soon as the prince is within earshot.

“Good evening to you as well.” He responds, deadpan, and Takumi snickers.

“So, I assume you’re about to show me those plans that were so important they made you miss my birthday party?”

“That’s a low blow Takumi and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s still your birthday.” 

“But I missed you.” He says, before he can stop himself and he immediately turns his head to hide the deep blush on his cheeks. The limbs tighten immeasurably and he wraps the blanket tighter around his body.

“I apologize if my absence was jarring but some…things required my attention.” Leo replies, sounding confident but not overly so, “I would be happy to show you, if you'll allow me.”

He’s been doing that a lot lately. The whole chivalrous knight act but Takumi assumed it was just sarcasm.

He rolls his eyes, smiling, and nods.

“Good. Now, close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Just trust me.”

Takumi sighs before complying. It was kind of ironic. Just a few months ago, he wouldn't have trusted any Nohrian if his back was turned. Now, he was submitting himself completely to the most powerful mage in Nohr in an ultimate act of trust. 

He feels the mages presence just behind him before delicate hands, pressed carefully against his back, guide him forward.

“I trust this isn't some sick Nohrian joke and you’re not gonna murder me behind the library.”

“And sully the lovely gardens with your blood? _Please._ I would have a little more respect than that.”

He elbows the Nohrian in the rib, and Leo’s laughter is stifled as the wind is knocked out of him.

Their footsteps begin to echo against wooden flooring, and Takumi recognizes the scent of ink and old parchment.

“Alright, open your eyes.”

And he does and the wind is swept out of him.

Sitting on Leo’s small desk was a violet rose. It rested in a glass vase, its leaves fanning out spectacularly, and the flowers size was splendid and the roots of the rose were coiled around a curious stone, as if the flower itself grew from it. However, in the darkness of the library, as the sun's light disappeared behind the trees, the brilliant blue of the crystal submerged in the clear water of the vase was set ablaze with brilliant light and from the roots, strings of light blue pulses through the stem, fanning out through the veins of the leaves and setting the ends of the petals alight with blue fire briefly before diminishing, in its own heartbeat and with every beat light chases away the murkiness of the room in a turquoise cadence. It was bright, but not overwhelmingly so. 

“What is this?” He says just above a whisper, mesmerized but cautious.

“It’s the ward I promised you.” Leo approaches the mysterious flower and delicately smooths one of the petals, and in the soft blue glow, he looked ethereal, “Many without the fundamental knowledge of the magical arts will fear magic but I find it to be immeasurably beautiful, in the face of such fears…I tried to recreate that beauty.” 

He taps the glass of the vase, disrupting the water and causing a few bubbles from around the crystal to rise to the surface, “Magic adheres to gemstones. Luckily, I found this one before your birthday.”

Takumi’s eyes widen and he stares up at Leo as he approaches the table.

“H-How much did that cost?”

“It doesn't matter.”

“ _Leo._ ”

“Really, Takumi. It doesn’t. You forget that I’m a prince?”

“I thought you guys left your reserves at Castle Krakenburg?”

“ _Takumi. It doesn't matter._ ”

He drops the subject.

“With that out of the way…this gemstone has been infused with a number of spells in order to eliminate nightmares. Hopefully, I’ve figured out a combination that will most likely get rid of your night terrors…” 

“What of the rose?” Takumi says, just above a whisper. He lifts a hand and gently rubs the calloused pads of his fingers over the petal Leo was fiddling with. The simple touch sending spikes of calm throughout his being. He doesn't flinch away when their fingers brush.

“It was…an added touch.”

“Oh?” The scent of the aforementioned flower was a sweet perfume in the air, and even it seemed to wash tranquility over his body.

“Yes, well…I have managed to tweak the rose with Brynhildr to last as long as the ward is active.”

“Which is how long?”

“Forever.”

Takumi stares up at Leo who seems preoccupied with the flower. It’s then Takumi notices how close they are. Their arms were brushing, almost purposefully against the other, exchanging delightful heat. Time seemed stilled then, as the urge to touch and kiss swelled from deep within his core, primal and wanton, like a vicious animal wanting to be set loose. Those impulses seemed stronger now more than it ever has been and his earlier reservations, all stemming from cowardice, seemingly disappearing in the light of the rose. That need was dangerous, and he found himself leaning into Leo without fear, resting his head on his shoulder.

“It’s beautiful…You’re…brilliant.”

He could feel him stiffen a bit before relaxing against his touch, turning so that he was facing Takumi before wrapping his arms around his midriff, his hands resting at his hip, pulling him flush against his body. Heart racing, the archer buries his face in his chest, hiding the burning in his cheeks, his own hands curiously smoothing over Leo’s slim waist, underneath his cloak and trailing up his back, following the divots of his spine and pausing at his shoulder blades, relishing in the sharp intake of breath Leo presses against the top of his head. The limbs on his arms fan out toward his hand, chasing the heat. His warmth was inviting and delicious, better than any blanket.

How could he have been denying this for so long. The dread of the future was as forever as the limbs inked on his skin. A constant reminder of what has yet to come and he's followed it through with every insatiable urge to touch, kiss and hold until it rendered him exhausted; fed up. He _wanted_ this. He _wanted_ happiness. No matter how temporary. So why deny it any longer?

Takumi tilts his head up and presses his forehead against the others, their breaths intermingling in the darkness. Leo’s eyelashes cast long shadows over his cheeks and he takes his left hand and grazes it over the smooth flesh, his thumb teasing his bottom lip and he smiles when Leo smiles. Their connection was undeniable. He wonders if Leo feels it too.

He isn't given time to deliberate when Leo breaks the silence, “May I…kiss you?” He recognizes the lilt in his voice from that night, in the cold, when they agreed to start over. Vulnerability. It sounded foreign coming from the confident prince and he hoped-desperately-to alleviate his insecurities immediately.

“ _Yes._ ” He breathes, quickly, perhaps too quickly, but it doesn't matter because Leo urgently presses exquisite pressure against his lips.

It was a curious sensation, soft but also rough from the cold and, despite his many fantasies, he had no idea what he was doing. His mind drawing blanks, and the magic, now running rampant and hot everywhere in his body, further obscuring his thoughts. 

Their lips move against each other tentatively and he shakily opens his mouth with a moan at the gentle prodding at his lips and he _melts_ , leaning into him, as Leo’s tongue explores every inch of his mouth. Daring hands travel up and down his back as their kisses grow messier, more desperate. Their noses brush and their teeth clack more than once but Takumi doesn't care. Evidently, neither does Leo as he pulls away for air, trailing sweet kisses along his temple. Takumi laughs airily at the tickling sensation before taking his jaw in his hand and bringing his mouth back over to his, capturing his lips hungrily and he shudders when Leo hums delightfully. Pleasure coils deep in his abdomen, his mind growing foggier with each sigh, moan, and kiss. 

But just as soon as it started, it stops with Leo suddenly pulling away, lightly panting against his ear.

“W-why did you stop?” he says between short puffs of breath no sooner grasping at the nape of his neck and pulling him closer, pressing featherlight kisses along his jaw and neck.

“I-I don’t…This is too fast…This isn't what I planned.”

Takumi pulls away, eyes narrowed, “What? What do you mean?”

“I was,” He looks away, His hands now restless at his sides, “…going to ask you to dinner…”

“Dinner.”

“Yes.”

“But instead you kissed me.”

“I asked!” He says, arms crossing and posture defiant, “That and,” his tongue lightly runs over kiss swollen lips as he avoids eye contact, “the mood was there.”

This idiot.

“You’re unbelievable.” Takumi sighs, leaning against the desk but mindful of the rose.

“I’d imagine that’s a good thing?” He responds, hopeful.

“Sure.”

Leo huffs and he walks over in front of Takumi, taking his hands in his.

“So, the verdict on dinner?” He intertwines their fingers, “I know some nice Nestrian restaurants. Afterwards we could…finish what we started?” 

He looks at their hands and considers what would happen if he told him. Ultimately, he shoots the idea down. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin this. Telling him would come…eventually but for now, he would enjoy this, for as long as it lasts. 

The limbs on his arm are curiously still as he nods, and, briefly, he swears he feels the light brush of petals on his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every flower has a meaning. ;)
> 
> Be sure to read Puns_and_Pickles wonderful gift ficlet [Hard Times](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13456296)(Rated E). Seriously! Its wonderful!!
> 
> Anyways, chapters might still be coming out at a slow pace from now on :| Either way, thank you all for your patience and support!! \\(^-^)/


	6. Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait!! I struggled a bit with this chapter mainly because of my bout of writers block but it all worked out in the end XD
> 
> Also! I got a new blog where I'll be posting updates on my writing on Kindred Spirits and all that stuff! You can go [here!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zenith-writes) for the new blog if you'd like!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!

Last night felt like a dream. 

He’d thought so too, if it weren't for the rose sitting on his desk.

Takumi wakes slowly, body aching, before dressing himself and sidling up to his desk, smoothing out one of the leaves. The rose sat perfectly still, beautifully vibrant and awash with morning light, the blue glow already diminishing come the rising sun and the leafy blades pricking into his gloves without any real harm. It felt real. It was real and Takumi could still feel the intoxicating brush of Leo’s lips on his own. 

He remembered how they'd taken their time walking back toward their tents, hand in hand, and how both didn't want to say goodbye. They had probably stood for hours chatting idly before the cold drove them apart and they’d kissed goodbye. It was all terribly sappy but Takumi couldn't help smiling at the memory.

And just as Leo promised, he’d slept soundly through the night. 

However, his reflections are short lived. Instead, in its stead a mounting panic when he doesn't _feel_ his tattoo and he rushes to his mirror, heart racing, tearing off the cover and nearly ripping off his glove, shakily undoing the binding. Panic turns to dread and his breathing turns rapid as thoughts of ‘you’ve gone too far’ and ‘you should've been more cautious’ flood his mind.

But he swallows down his fear, remembering Leo’s unsure voice, his calm countenance, his beautiful smile, and suddenly he remembers how much he wanted this. How much he needed him. How much he loved him. And suddenly he wasn’t scared. At least, not so much. 

The fear would always be there, as it should be. Whatever the universe set out for him - for _them_ \- he’d just have to wait and see. He’d brought himself into this willingly, not that he’d ever had a choice to begin with. The only thing to do now was wait-as nerve wracking as that was.

He looks down at his arm and he notices how pale his skin was against his tattoo, how much more vibrant it seemed. How eerily beautiful it was and he looks away, grabbing some more cloth to bind his arm taking one last look in the hazy light.

In the afterglow, all he can see are petals.

~~~~~~~~~~

He fiddles with the ends of his sleeve, his teeth chattering, anxious as he waited by the gate Lilith had opened for them, and through the portal he could see the distorted image of an alleyway of sorts, dark and dreary. The lanterns of Cyrkensia shone bright against the darkness ahead and taller buildings and steeples seemed to breach the sky. In the street the alley faced, he could make out people meandering about, merchants pulling carts, couples, families, horse drawn carriages. The cobblestone street was busy with life, mainly people coming to view the latest opera and, in all honesty, he was intimidated. 

He’d never been to Nestra, nor the popular resort city Cyrkensia, despite its neutrality in the war. He supposes it’s because of its rise in popularity with Nohrians; particularly Nohrian nobility. He wondered how much he’d stick out, especially with what he was wearing. 

He was dressed in a sky blue hoari, with a gold embellished kinshi design on his back. The wings fanning out along his large sleeves. A thick scarf protected his nose and neck from the bitter cold. His shirt was a greenish blue and his hakama a simple dark grey fabric and red ribbons intertwined his ponytail. He looked positively Hoshidan, and he worried whether or not this was a mistake on his part. But Leo didn’t specify what he should wear other than ‘formal’ and it’s not like his wardrobe consisted of any Nohrian garb. Oboro, who’d graciously helped him with his outfit, made sure to voice her own concerns as well. 

He just felt so...vulnerable. The moment he’d mastered the Fujin Yumi, it’d constantly been at his side, no matter where he went. Of course, there had been times when he’d abandoned his weapon for a short while, or couldn’t bring it with him on certain occasions, but this was a foreign land, far from home. Far from safety.

The vines on his arm tangle and he faces the sound of steps drawing closer, drawing in a breath. At this point, he expected to see Leo in black or violet, flaunting his nations colors, but as the prince strides over in a striking crimson swallowtail coat with gold accents, his coattails fluttering elegantly behind him, he was thoroughly surprised. He can't help his eyes from drifting over his form nor the way he noticed how his white pants seemed to hug his supple thighs, or how the deep red complimented his pale skin, or the way his pristine white gloves seemed to show off his slender pianist fingers, or- 

He is suddenly thrust back into reality at the sound of a throat being cleared and he looks up to find Leo, cheeks dusted pink, and looking at him curiously.

“Y-yeah?”

“I said good evening.”

“O-oh, yeah.” He was a _mess._

Thankfully, Leo doesn’t notice his inner turmoil - or chooses not to - and only smiles bowing, refined and sauve, taking his right hand in his, bringing the tips of his knuckles to his lips before whispering against his skin, “You look absolutely stunning.” The warmth of his breath tickles his skin and Takumi feels his cheeks heat up. That pleasant feeling seemed to trail down each branch and vine toward his hand, chasing his soulmates touch. He takes a deep breath, steeling himself before turning over Leo’s hand and kissing his fingers, saying in a deep purr he didn’t know he could muster, “I could say the same to you.” and watching as Leo’s face goes from surprise to flustered in a matter of seconds. 

“W-we should probably head out.” The mage turns his head, cheeks still aflame as he offers his arm which Takumi happily links with his, relieved when he sees the sword holstered at his side. When Leo notices him eyeing the weapon, he brings him closer, squeezing his arm reassuringly, “I doubt we’ll run into any trouble.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

They step through the portal, after shaking off the dizziness that comes with interdimensional travel(or whatever Lilith called it), Takumi is immediately struck with how warm it is. Of course, the wind brought its own chill but, overall, it was nice. In any case, it was a lot warmer than the frigid astral plane and he loosens his scarf a bit. Leo recites a small incantation, nothing short of a whisper in the crisp air, before a flame ignites in his palm and Takumi briefly wonders why they would need a torch in the brightly lit streets until he’s being led deeper into the alley.

He looks up at Leo cryptically, who stares ahead, and when the light of the flame reveals the alley splitting into two different directions, right and left, he confidently leads him right.

“You know where we’re going?”

“Of course,” and when Takumi doesn't look satisfied with his answer, he continues, self-assured, “You can't reach where we’re going on the main roads.”

~~~~~~~~~~

After ten minutes of walking through dark streets - streets that seemed to grow narrower with every turn - Takumi was itching for conversation. Leo remained stoically quiet throughout their journey, leading him through the maze like alleys, and he was beginning to fidget with the end of Leo’s sleeve, not that he seemed to mind. His earlier anxieties seemed to resurface, brought about by the dreary streets, the unfamiliar sights and sounds and smells, the general placidness of his date...Takumi had never been on a date - for obvious reasons. Even before That Day, he and his siblings dedicated themselves to the coming war. They’d simply never had the forethought nor the time. So, maybe his inexperience was catching up to him. Afterall, he had no idea what he was supposed to do, what to expect, what to say.

He peers up at his date and wonders if he’s nervous too. 

“Are you prepared for tomorrow?” Leo says, and Takumi blanks before he realises he’s talking about tomorrow's preparations to depart further into Valla. He only nods. He’d been...trying to forget about it. The entire affair scared him beyond belief. Leo seemed to feel his unease and he brings him closer, pressing his lips to his temple in a quick peck and when Takumi looks up at him, he merely smiles, saying, “We’ll be okay.” with so much conviction that he believes him.

“You know,” He starts, allowing the mood to drift lighter, “if I’d known we’d be doing so much walking, I would’ve made you carry me.”

Leo chuckles softly, squeezing Takumi’s hand, “I think tiring me out beforehand would make for a pretty unremarkable date now.”

“Are you calling me heavy?” Takumi snorts, tone amused “That’s rude, Leo.”

“No, but you aren't necessarily light either, I would think.”

“Fair enough.” He feels the conversation begin to die as silence fills its place. The smell of seafoam permeates the air, and he can hear the crash of waves in the distance but the buildings block his view of the sea. 

“I bet I could carry you.” he mumbles against his own will and he feels his face heat up but Leo only laughs, immediate and open, smiling widely as his glee fades. The incandescence of the torch reflects off the white of his teeth and Takumi feels faint all of a sudden.

“I don’t doubt it.” He sighs, “But we’re almost there, so no carrying anyone for now.”

Just as he finishes his sentence, they round the next corner and Takumi nearly stumbles off the narrow passageway and into the murky water as they are led through a road facing the sea and Leo extinguishes the flame, patting it out on his thigh. The lanterns along the boardwalk glitter, lighting up various verandas, small restaurants and food stands. People, seafarers and bourgeois alike, intermingled despite the late hour. He heard the chatter of people as they began making their way through the boardwalk, barely brushing past people as the walkway became more and more crowded and he worries that he might draw attention so he hugs Leo’s side and keeps his head low. The last thing he wanted was confrontation but what surprised him was how brazen Leo was being, as if he was inviting onlookers. 

“Nestra is oft described as a place to escape.” Leo starts suddenly, diverting Takumi’s attention, “From life’s hardships...from the war.” A couple passes them by without a second glance, a crowd is gathered at a street performer, engrossed in their musical performance, many are preoccupied with the various food stands and restaurants, performers and the view of the sea. 

“They don’t notice us?”

“They choose not to.”

Takumi feels himself relax, finding himself peering up at Leo. _He always knows what to say._

It isn’t long before Leo leads him to a dock that stretches over the murky water toward a restaurant suspended on pillars over the murky depths. The restaurant itself had a large wrap around veranda with a small bar in the center and an even smaller interior where waiters and waitresses scramble in and out of carrying large platters of food and empty trays. A rather boisterous waitress greets them at the entrance, her wide smile belying her exhaustion as she leads them to their seats, which were in the back facing the sea. It isn't until they sit down that Takumi really appreciates the view. There was nothing obstructing their view of the sea, aside from a few pillars and hanging lanterns. The ocean was a black abyss, dusted with the faintest shade of indigo and the moon reflected silver light over the waters horizon, painting the ocean with specks of white. A pleasant breeze rustles vines growing on the pillars which had strange white flowers that seemed to face the full moon, glowing splendidly under the moonlight. As far as the restaurant went, it was partly busy, with the bar being the busiest, but people seemed spread out over the deck, which meant he had an easier time tuning out the conversations of other people. Everything felt pleasant - warm - underneath the hanging lanterns completed with a couple candles in the center of their table.

“It’s nice here.” He says after a little while, looking down at his menu but not really comprehending it.

“Yeah?” Leo tilts his head to the left, looking at him intently, small but cocky smile on his face. The tip of his boot brushes against his foot almost purposefully.

He hums a response, trying not to focus on Leo’s gaze and instead diverts his attention on the menu realizing, with rising dread, he has no idea what any of these words mean. When he looks up, Leo recognizes his confusion and speaks softly, “Don’t worry about food. I know all the best dishes here. If you’d like, I could order for you?”

Takumi looks down at the menu, skimming over the food items. It would take him an inordinate amount of time to order and even then he still wasn't quite familiar with the cuisine here, so he rests his menu on the table, “I’ll trust your judgement then.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi felt like he was about to die.

He shakily lifts the last of the tiramisu into his mouth chewing slowly, deliberately. Three plates, all of them empty, laid out before him. Leo, who’d been pacing himself throughout, watches, brows furrowed in concern.

Takumi didn't realize they would serve an entire three course meal, so imagine his surprise when he’d finished his first meal only for the waitress to come back with a mountain of food and a concerned smile directed his way. He did it though. He finished every morsel, every scrap, all of it with a steel will and unaltered determination. The archer felt like he was going to explode, but such is the cost for victory. 

“Are you...alright?” Leo asks, his thumb gently brushing over Takumi’s hand, squeezing lightly. The limbs tremble as he feels another wave of nausea wash over him and he shivers, suddenly feeling cold.

“M’fine. Don’t worry.” He’d had some wine. Not too much to get inebriated but just enough to feel a pleasant buzz in his head, numbing his senses and appeasing his anxieties. He leans back against the chair and rubs his eyes, turning his focus toward the rest of the patrons. The crowd had thinned considerably as the evening went on and waiters were no longer scrambling around the restaurant. An elderly couple chatted beside them, some women in extravagant dresses laughed gleefully, a few men in leathers and armor are being led to their seats across from them. They had patched stubble and scars on their faces and one glances his way so he turns his head. He feels multiple eyes on him. Suddenly, Takumi feels sick for a different reason.

“You look a little pale. I think there’s a bathroo-”

“I think we should leave.” Takumi whispers, squeezing Leo’s hand. He watches the men out of the corner of his eye, call the nearest waitress over. They peer at him as they speak to her and she fidgets nervously. Leo, who’d looked at him curiously, takes a sweep of the restaurant, and as soon as russet eyes catch onto their darkened gaze his grip tightens around his and he stands, muttering a “Let’s go.” as he leaves a bag of money on the table. Takumi follows, and the other patrons mimic their movements and Takumi catches the silver glint of their blades in the moonlight.

He looks forward when they leave and doesn’t look back. 

~~~~~~~~~~

They are both panting when they slow down. They’d nearly run further up through the boardwalk until they were at an unlit docking area, void of people and the earlier liveliness. Takumi doesnt think they’d been followed but they still hadn’t stopped until now.

“I guess,” Takumi breathes, a little lightheaded and fatigued, “I’m sorry.”

Leo raises a brow, “Sorry? What for?” He tips his head in the direction in which they came, “Them? I’m almost certain this wasn’t your fault.”

“But-”

“No Takumi.” Leo says, walking across a stretch of dock. The setting was awash with the silver light of the moon and Takumi wondered why they would even need lanterns in the first place.

He follows him to the end of the dock, overlooking the water. He was still lethargic from their dinner and subsequent run, the buzz he had previously dissipating with the cool air and Leo sighs, drawn out and tired.

A silence blankets them, and Takumi begins fidgeting with the end of his sleeve, not knowing what he should say. 

“I didn’t realize,” Leo begins, just above a whisper, his voice disappearing with the waves, “my father’s reach extended here.” He sounded breathless, disbelieving and Takumi knew he should say something, anything, but his mind was foggy and he’d never really been good with words. So, instead he looks up at the sky, entwining their fingers. The moons overwhelming luminosity chased away most of the stars in the sky but Takumi recognized the shape of a couple constellations. Leo continues staring at the water, expression blank.

Takumi had never really been good at comforting people. Imparting some thought provoking wisdom was out of the question as he’d never been particularly wise like his mother or father. Nor was he naturally gifted with soft spoken words but whenever Sakura would come to him crying, hurt, lonely and afraid, he’d always wrap his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder, or take comfort in his presence. It always seemed to work then, no words needed. 

So, maybe this was a bad idea, which is reaffirmed by Leo’s small yelp as his feet leave the ground, and the way he grasps at his shoulders trying to find purchase but as he lifts Leo in the air, and as his beautiful pale skin and blonde hair is bathed in pearly moonbeams, he couldn’t say he regretted it. 

“Wh-Takumi, what are you doing?” And despite his incredulity, he’s smiling.

“Hugging you?” He says, looking up at him smiling. 

“Obviously but,” Leo’s feet dangle uselessly and Takumi admits he’s a lot heavier than what he thought he’d be but he only holds him tighter, the vines on his arm chasing his warmth, as they always do, “why?”

He ignores his question, too entranced by his soulmates smile, and his beautiful eyes and the captivating flush on his cheeks, and he speaks, voice low and smitten, before he can stop himself, “You have a beautiful smile.” Yet before he can backtrack, or blush, Leo is kissing him, soft, warm and desperate. The vines on his arm quiver, tickling his skin. His lips are pliant and delectable, moving tentatively against his own and he has the forethought to gently put the mage back on his feet before he drops him. 

When they pull apart - reluctantly - both are breathless, Leo immediately pulling down his scarf and pressing kisses along his neck, smiling against his skin when Takumi chuckles at the sensations.

“Would you…” Leo purrs, voice reverberating through his core, “like to go somewhere else?”

Takumi shivers as Leo continues his ministrations, humming “ _Yes._ ” against Leo’s ear and feeling the excitement run through his veins.

~~~~~~~~~~

He never would have guessed the mage as unorganized but, then again, he’s been proven wrong before. 

Leo’s tent is a mess with documents. Some crumpled, littered the ground surrounding his desk. Scrolls of parchment splayed haphazardly on his nightstand, papers piled on his desk, documents sticking out of drawers. The bookshelf full of thick texts and books littered the desk and nightstand intermittently, a faceless’ mask, a few herbs and potted plants, a beautiful planetarium, a bronze telescope, a wooden case reminiscent of a wind up music box...His armor, which sat imposingly from its armor rack in the corner of the tent, brilliantly reflects the light of the lone lantern on his desk. There was no mirror. 

“I apologize for the mess.” He looks away, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, “In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting you to choose to come here.”

“I’ve never seen your place.” Takumi murmurs, taking off his zori before sidling up to the telescope, mystified. 

“Yes, well,” he breathes an airy laugh, “it’s a mess.” 

“I think it’s nice. It’s...lived in.”

“Is that your way of saying it’s messy?” He says, kicking off his boots, pulling off his gloves and unclipping his cape, draping it over his chair. He unholsters his sword and leans it against his desk.

Takumi snorts before shaking his head, turning away from the telescope he’d been fiddling with, approaching Leo and wrapping his arms around his waist. His hands rubbing circles on his back and he feels him tense before relaxing.

“So, continuing where we left off?” He’s not going to deny the buzz of excitement that pulses through his veins as the words leave his lips.

Leo snickers in response before he lifts a hand and gingerly cards it through the ashen strands of his ponytail as he brushes his lips against his, soft and cautious, just like a couple nights ago. His fingers gently tug at the ribbons in his hair and his sharp eyes search his, imploring, and when he whispers against his cheek, the featherlight caress of his lips against his skin makes him shiver.

“May I?”

And Takumi nods because of course - _of course_ \- Leo could undo his hair. Why was he even asking?

He feels the tender pull of the ribbon. He feels his hair fall against his face, along his back and down his spine. He _feels_ Leo’s sigh against his cheek, and when he looks up, he is taken aback by how _wonderstruck_ Leo looks, that he turns his head away in abashment.

“W-what?” His tone is defiant. He wasn't really expecting an answer.

But Leo was full of surprises and he takes a tress of ashen hair and lifts it up to his lips, kissing it delicately before he whispers against his ear, eyes suddenly dark and voice a delicious vibrato, “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Takumi swallows the sudden lump in his throat, forcing it down with whatever breath he had left. Leo’s hand now cupped his cheek bringing their faces closer and not a second sooner Takumi was smashing their lips together lacking any tact or grace-not that he cared. He wanted Leo, _now._

Leo hums sublimely against his lips as Takumi pushes their bodies flush against the other. His kisses a frenzy of desperation and repressed feelings. Finally they were alone, with the night to themselves, and the promise of _more_ to come sending sparks of excitement up and down his spine. His hand gripped at the blondes nape, while the other removed his headband and dropped it on the floor prompting a disgruntled noise from the knight, who pulls away to issue a, “ _Rude_ ” before his lips are captured again, this time smiling. 

He tasted so so sweet, like the tiramisu they had for dessert. Delicious. Addicting. He drank him in, eager like a starving man, holding him closer. Greedy and afraid. Leo returns his affections ten fold, pulling him close by his hips. His hands oft trailing across his back, through his hair, everywhere they could reach and, when Leo shifts his thigh, Takumi pulls away gasping. In the haze he hadn't realized just how hard he was pressed against Leo’s thigh and how the pleasure curled delectably behind his navel. 

He rolls his hips a bit more deliberately, his eyes closed and lips parted in a sigh as the pleasure coils. Faintly, he catches Leo whisper a curse as if it was a prayer and when he looks up, Leo looks every bit as undone as Takumi feels. His hair is mussed and sticking up where his hands had gripped, his cheeks were flushed, much like his own, with a deep rosy hue that extended down his neck, his pink lips were swollen, parted with shaken breath, and he was staring at _him_ as if he'd hung every star in the sky.

“ _You’re perfect…_ ” Leo breathes in a hushed whisper, only for him and Takumi smiles, bashful and against his chest. Joy, unbridled and welcome, ignites precious flames of warmth in his chest and Takumi realizes with a start, that he hasn't been this happy in a long time. Being with Leo felt…right. As it should be, of course but through all of mother’s stories of love and connection he'd never thought - never _imagined_ \- it would feel like this. Every touch and friendly conversation sent sparks of fire up his arm, through every branch and vine, where it settles on the intricate emblem just above his heart and the thrum of magic in his ears is no longer a shrill cry but rather a melodious symphony. He hoped, prayed, to every god that this would last, for as long as it could. 

Leo guides his chin with his finger before softly pillowing their lips together. It lacked the desperation from earlier but it made his heart flutter nonetheless. Leo pushed their hips together once more, eliciting a moan from Takumi before Leo slowly guides him forward. When Takumi feels the mattress hit the back of his legs he immediately clambers onto the soft duvet, removing his haori in the process and easily parting his legs, which the mage wastes no time slotting between. The earlier desperation resurfacing with every kiss and, when Takumi feels Leo’s own need presses against his stomach, he cants his hips upward, delighting in Leo’s choked gasp.

“Not fair, Takumi.” He says as he presses soft kisses down the column of his neck.

When he gets a dazed hum in response, Leo breathes a chuckle against his exposed collarbone smiling against his skin before lowering his hips and applying delicious pressure against his crotch. Takumi exhales shakily, meeting Leo’s slow grind with his own, tightening his grip on Leo’s shirt when the mages pace quickens. His previous sighs shift into shameless choked off sobs as Leo’s thrusts become harder and more desperate, leaving both men panting out small whines and groans. Takumi wraps his legs around Leo’s waist, locking his ankles, back arching off the bed when Leo’s clothed cock rubs hard and perfect against his own choking on air. Leo takes this opportunity to wrap his arms around the archer burying his face in his neck as his pace quickens and both men are gasping for breath, drowning in bliss. 

He doesn’t know how long they stay like that, locked together and frantic. It feels like an eternity. Takumi’s fingers, which had been previously digging into the duvet, grasp at the back of Leo’s shirt, trying to find purchase on the soft fabric until a particularly hard stroke sends a flood of bliss crashing through his core, and his nails dig into the fabric and lean muscle of Leo’s back, luxuriating when Leo gasps his name, laden with the heat of sex. It isn’t long before the pleasure behind his navel, threatens to spill over, white hot and heavenly in his veins.

“Gods Leo, I-” He tries, breaking off to whine when Leo gyrates his hips just so that he can feel all of him. “L-Leo, I’m-“ Takumi chokes, his mind filled with white fuzz, magic screams in his ears and all he can feel is the amazing heat coiling tight in his core, until Leo’s dick grinds hard and splendid against his own once more and he sees white, his orgasm wracking through his body. Heat runs, tepid and unrelenting, through every vein, his back arching once again but this time, Leo holds him, massaging his sides as he tremors. He rides out his sweet release, his body quivering and the name of his lover having just left his lips in a desperate cry. Soon after his release, Leo holds him close-so close-as he sings Takumi’s name, like a mantra, a prayer, intermittent with desperate groans and needy sighs, becoming slurred as his cock grinds hard against his own and Takumi winces from overstimulation. It isn’t long before he feels Leo tense considerably, a sigh, heavy and drawn out, on his lips and eyes glazed over, his body quivering slightly.

As his shaking eases, Leo unwraps his arms from around Takumi before laying down on the soft duvet, resting his head on Takumi’s bicep. For a minute, silence washes over them, save for their labored breaths and, despite Takumi’s perceptions of what post-sex(was that sex?) would feel like, it wasn’t awkward. Not really. It was comfortable, with Leo half buried in the crook of his neck, his careful exhales tickling his skin. However, it isn’t long before Leo sits up, running his fingers over Takumi’s sweat slicked forehead and brushing his bangs from his face, breaking the silence with a whisper, “You didn’t...ruin your pants did you?” 

And Takumi laughs, despite being an inappropriate response to someone's genuine concern, but the situation was too surreal not to.

“I...I don’t _think_ so…” He says, speech a bit slurred from exhaustion and post orgasmic bliss. He moves his leg and winces when he feels the fabric, wet and sticky, against his thigh, “It...washes out of silk...right?”

Leo shrugs, and Takumi continues, his high starting to ebb away into exhaustion, “Well, what about you?”

“I’m not too worried.”

“Why not?”

“Because your pants look nice?”

“Well, yours look good as well!” Takumi huffs, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him, “I’ll just wash them. It’s no big deal.”

“We should change.” A surge of anxiety pulses through him then. The thought hadn’t crossed his mind, and now Leo would see-

”I have some robes you could borrow,” He runs his tongue over his bottom lip as he looks away, contemplative and...worried? “I could close the drapes while you change...That is, if you want to stay.” He looks almost sheepish while he talks, imploring yet hesitant, and _gods_ , Takumi loved this man.

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“I’ll stay.” And he nearly laughs when Leo’s expression brightens considerably. No sooner does Leo bring a change of clothes and closes the curtains.

It’s cold when he finishes changing, having been warmed by their previous...activities, he’d forgotten it was the beginning of winter. The blue silks were thin, and too big, but unbelievably comfortable and he wasted no time burying himself under the soft blankets that smelled so much like Leo. The other prince returns, pulling back the curtain after extinguishing the lantern on his desk, pulling the sheets back and joining the archer. His paler skin looked beautiful against the red of his robes and Takumi realized, he very much liked seeing Leo in red. Their limbs tangled together, sharing each others warmth, afraid to let go. 

The silence is deafening until Leo breaks it, “I like you...a lot.”

Takumi sucks in a breath, heart suddenly pounding and he thanks the gods it’s dark because he feels his cheeks burning.

“I like you too.” Takumi says, just above a whisper, before adding quickly, “a-a lot.”

“I just...wanted to say it.” And Takumi swears he can hear relief laced through every word.

“I’m glad you did.” He speaks honestly.

“Yeah, me too.” Leo whispers before cuddling further into the crook of his neck and wishing him goodnight. The same silence befalls them then, except this time, it was serene and filled with a comforting magical refrain only he could hear.

The darkness itself was inviting yet, at the same time, unwanted. It wasn’t long before he felt the mages breathing steady out into an even rhythm. Sleep would come later for him, despite his exhaustion, especially without the ward. He just couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering. Tomorrow, they would begin preparations to advance on Anankos. He’d heard stories from the fliers tasked with exploring Valla; tales of floating mountains, landscapes that changed dramatically every hour, some every minute, a shattered world, a world a god destroyed. It was terrifying, no doubt, and he had no idea if they would even survive the journey to Anankos, let alone a battle with a god. Nonetheless, he remembered Leo’s words, his confident assurances, brought about by his own trepidation, and he hung onto them - _desperately_ \- throughout the night, until sleep overtook him.

_We’ll be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, be sure to read Puns_and_Pickles [Hard Times](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13456296)(rated E) which takes place between chapters 4-5


	7. Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!

It was a hard transition from the peacefulness of Leo’s arms to the ceaseless sounds of war, of metal on metal and battlecries. It was hard when he stared death in the face as the crack of stone resounded underneath him. Dizzying when he’d accepted death, thought for sure his last breath would be that of staring up into the heavens as he fell, only to be caught by the hand of his soulmate and brought back to safety. Relentless as they fought through battle after battle, as enemies grew stronger, began to learn their techniques. Disheartening when they’d had a formal funeral for Scarlet back at camp.

But those were nothing - _nothing_ \- compared to _this_. Trembling hands clutch at the fabric of his mothers coat as it begins to fade, taking with it the last of her abating warmth, until she disappears and he grasps at nothing. His hands clench hard at his sides and he tries his damndest to tune out the distressing sniffles coming from Corrin. Hinoka’s bangs covered her eyes, head facing the ground as tears fall from the tip of her nose, shoulders quivering. Ryoma remained stoic, or as stoic as any man could be after watching the death of a loved one. His eyes were cast downward, dark and forlorn and his bottom lip trembled ever so slightly, his despondence casting a heavy weight throughout the scene and, though Takumi’s mind was still reeling, and tears threatened to spill over his cheeks, he had to be strong. Strong like his brother and father. So, he clenches his jaw - painfully so - swallows down the lump in his throat and desperately fights down the tears, but as soon as he feels Sakura’s hand delicately clasp his and he looks up meeting teary, desperate eyes he feels his heart _hurt_. Physical pain shoots through his chest, more excruciating than any injury he’s ever sustained and he feels nauseous as the previous scar of his mother’s death tears, reopening, festering. 

The effects are immediate and he feels them in waves as he rips his hand away, the warmth searing his skin through his gloves and traveling through every branch and vine - burning - standing and briskly walking away from the scene, ignoring his family’s pleas for him to stay. He brushes past his worried retainers, refusing to make eye contact, his body numb and moving as if it wasn't his own. He was nearly alone and away from the worried glances of the group when he feels a clawed hand tightly grip his wrist.

A hint of annoyance flares up from within him and he forces his expression to remain neutral as he turns to face his soulmate, who bears his worry on his sleeve, eyes imploring and brows furrowed.

“Takumi, I-“ He starts, voice wavering yet soft and Takumi feels himself break a little just hearing it. 

“Leo,” Takumi interrupts, quickly, tone level, or as level as can be, “I really need to be alone.” And he hopes Leo would take the hint and back off but instead, the mages face only twists into a deeper frown and his grip tightens.

“Leo.” Takumi tries again, this time the irritation seeping through every syllable, “ _Please_.” and it comes out as plea rather than a command, broken and desperate, and he watches as Leo’s face contorts in confusion, deliberating, opening and closing his mouth before Takumi had had enough and shakes his hand loose, all but running off, shame an unpleasant weight in his stomach. 

He runs until he's out of breath and his legs are burning and the darkness of the castle Gyges envelopes him. He turns a corner, finding a small dusty chamber and he welcomes the seclusion, leaning his back against the tawny stone as his knees buckle and he collapses, the earlier pain resurfacing. He tries hard not to think of her face or the way she weakly smiled as her strength left her but it was hopeless, as he felt tears, searing hot, run down his face in streams and he tries fruitlessly to brush them away, to stop them, but it only seems to make it worse. Air becomes difficult to draw in and the room feels tighter, cramped. His rapid breathing quickly turning into choked sobs, muffled into his hands as he folds in on himself. He’d never felt so small, powerless and weak and he wonders, distantly, if he’d made her _proud_ or if this is what she saw.

His dismal thoughts only make things worse and he rocks back and forth trying to calm down as his body quivers, unstable and frantic. Sobs turn into wails and he’s thankful nobody is here.

Nobody can see him break. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi didn't drink often. Many soldiers found solace in the mess hall after dark, when it would turn into a tavern of sorts. He couldn't blame them, after all, they were fighting in a war. He’d witnessed his fair share of horrors despite his young age but he’d often drown his sorrows out with relentless training that left him too tired and raw to feel depressed.

He hadn't left his tent in what felt like days, refusing contact with his family and friends, and he was hungry, starving even, and very thirsty. Takumi didn't know how much time had passed either. Since watching his mother die, time had felt so slow, drained. Too exhausted to leave his bed, feeling as if his body was made out of heavy stone. After a while, the shame burning in his gut became unbearable and he decided he should probably get some fresh air and something to eat, forcing himself out of bed.

He didn't remember his walk to the tavern, and now that he was there, perched on a stool at the bar, he couldn't say he felt any better. So, he orders a stew and a drink and eats, plaintively, taking a couple sips of the ale intermittently, and always with a scrunched nose and a shiver. 

He practically inhales his stew and gulps down the last of his drink feeling…good. Or, at least better than what he did before, so he orders another drink and Shura, who’s on duty at the time, pours it without a second glance, sliding the glass his way.

He finishes it faster than the first and enjoys the tingly feeling in his head so he orders another.

And after his third cup he’s only semi-fucked, so he orders another however, as soon as the glass is placed in front of him he hears a familiar voice among the rowdy crowd in the tavern and he turns toward the source, spotting Odin talking boisterously with Laslow and Selena, the latter exclaiming something with wild abandon as Selena smiles and Laslow laughs. Odin’s dramatics seeming to attract the attention of more patrons who glare before turning back to their own conversations. Takumi, in his drunken stupor, finds Odin’s theatrics entertaining and deflates when a cloaked figure taps on the sorcerers shoulder, whispering something in his ear and Odin calms down marginally. The hooded figure turns away, and Takumi swears he sees a glimpse of white hair, one gray eye and a dogged grin before the figure swiftly leaves the mess hall. Takumi shakes off the unease in his gut, turning to his own drink lifting the glass up to his lips and frowning when all he can taste is water.

He shoots Shura a glare who, upon noticing snorts, “You’re swaying, kid.” _Kid?! Is this how he talks to a Prince? I am - I…_ It takes him a minute to collect his thoughts when he realizes he is indeed swaying in his chair and the room was spinning dizzyingly fast and maybe he should stop while he’s ahead of himself. 

So, he relaxes, figuring he’d be here a while since he doesn't necessarily want to be caught stumbling back to his tent. He sips on his drink, idly tapping the mahogany wood of the bar, hypnotized by a certain spot on the wall. He has to steady himself more than once, lest he falls out of his chair and nausea washes over him in waves but, overall, he was numb which, he’d argue, is better than wallowing in pain and he understands now how this could get addicting - dangerous.

“There you are.” A voice says, nearly startling him out of his chair and swivels to face beautiful russet eyes and soft blonde hair, and a relieved smile, revealed as the mage pulls back the hood of his cloak. The same hooded figure stands just off to the side of him, but Takumi is much more captivated by soulmate to pay them any mind. 

“Leo…” Takumi barely recognizes the sound of his own voice, breathless as if he’d been punched in the stomach and he couldn't help himself for taking in his form, long legs and waist hugged tight by black pants and he drank him in, shamelessly as Leo drones on about how he’d be looking for him. He looked amazing.

Leo suddenly stutters, cheeks igniting an adorable rosy flush that quickly extends to his neck, eyes looking away and voiced slightly muffled from his hand, “E-er, I…t-thank you?” He hears Shura snicker in the background and, judging by Leo’s reaction, he wonders if he’d said that last thought aloud. In the end however, he’s too drunk to care. Moreover, Leo looked so intoxicatingly adorable, with his red cheeks and soft hair and poofy shirt, that he finds himself leaning in without inhibitions, brazen with intention but ultimately stopped by gracefully sliding off his bar stool and landing face first into Leo’s chest senses overloading as the smell of Leo - of ink and parchment, and old books - fill his nose. He feels Leo’s hands hover over him before steadying the archer who sways slightly. 

“Just how much have you had to drink?” He says, concerned and Takumi shrugs, “Don’ know…two?”

“Three,” Shura says as he wipes down the bar, “and he swallowed them down as if he hadn’t had a drink in days.” 

Takumi feels Leo’s chest heave in a sigh, “It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.” He adds, lowly, reverberating throughout his core and Takumi flattens his palm against his chest, burying closer, feeling the pleasant vibrations.

“You smell nice.” He buries his nose closer to the crook of his neck and breathes deeply. He doesn't miss the way Leo shudders.

“I’m walking you back to your tent.” Leo states, hoisting the archers arm around his shoulder. When he doesn't receive any physical protesting - just a few disgruntled noises - he turns toward a hooded figure who Takumi had just recognized was Niles, “It’ll be a moment.”

Niles hums, “Don’t take too long.” before taking his leave and they begin their trek out the bar.

Outside, the archer is greeted with the icy wind cutting across his face causing his teeth to chatter and the fog in his head to clear, only slightly and he leans into Leo’s side, chasing his soothing warmth. He trips over his feet more than once, despite the slow pace at which they walk, thankful that Leo was there, but face still heated as he feels the sharp tendrils of shame stab at his chest. 

It is apt that the shame of such indecency would be amplified due to his status, undeterred by his insobriety, especially in the presence of another royal - especially in the presence of his soulmate. However, he thanks the gods the walk, thereafter, is uneventful and blessedly quiet. 

Leo aides him to his tent after a short walk, helping him inside. The soft, pulsatile blue glow of the rose is enough for the mage to guide him to his bed where he lays him down and begins removing his shoes. Takumi doesn't have the strength to protest as fatigue weighs him down. Still, he doesn't want to sleep yet, knowing tomorrow would be another day filled with pain. 

“How many…” he begins, recognizing the slur in his voice and turning his head away in abashment, “How many days has it been?”

Leo puts down his shoes before peering up at him, brow raised until understanding washes over his features, “Two.”

“Oh.” An unbearable silence washes over them then and Takumi squirms, the limbs on his arm trembling as Leo helps him take off his furs.

“Can you stay?” He says in a voice so small he wonders if Leo heard him, “I don't wanna be alone.” He can hear his voice break then, and shame, burning livid and ferocious, like a wildfire, sears through his gut when he feels tears pool in his eyes. He never wanted anyone to see him like this but without his inhibitions, his emotions were running amok. The short lived numbness he'd experienced just a couple minutes ago, quickly ebbing away into turmoil and he covers his eyes.

There’s a poignant silence and, briefly Takumi wonders if he’s left; if this is what drives them apart. His own weakness.

However, his insecurities are dashed when he feels warmth envelope him as his soulmates arms wrap around his waist, bringing him to his side and holding him close; close enough to feel the pulse in his chest.

“You know I’d stay by your side, as long as you’d ask of me.” Leo whispers, with a slight tremble in his tone, clear into the dark and he lets the weight of his words wash careful assurances in his mind, letting the brief dip in the conversation lull him into Leo’s security before he mourns.

He mourns until Leo’s coat is soaked through with tears. He mourns until his sobs devolve into choked hiccups and whimpers. Until his tears run dry and his eyes grow heavy. Until Leo’s soothing assurances and calming voice appease him and he drifts off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

When he wakes up, the sun is casting a vanilla light through the canvas of the tent, illuminating the area in a soft morning glow. He’s immediately greeted with soothing hands carefully running through his hair and the warmth of Leo’s body as he’s held against his chest and he cuddles in closer; the soothing caress of his fingers halting when he stirs.

“You’re finally awake.” Leo half whispers against the top of his head, and although his voice is laden with sleep he doesn't miss the playful lilt in his tone. Takumi hums, looking up and meeting a gorgeously disheveled Leo; hair mussed, russet eyes half lidded, tired smile…

“How long have you been up?” Takumi slurs, voice incredibly hoarse realizing that unbearable pain in his heart was…gone or, subdued. He felt good. Much better than last night, aside from his uncomfortably swollen eyes and stuffy nose.

“All night maybe?”

“Maybe?” Takumi sits up, running his eyes over Leo’s form, wondering if something is wrong, that maybe he’d kept him up.

“Yes well,” Leo runs a hand through his hair, his stare was distant, contemplative, “I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

Takumi suddenly feels a wave of guilt consume him at the thought of burdening Leo with his own problems. He knew more than anyone how busy Leo was and, while he couldn’t remember that much aside from his breakdown, he’d imagine Leo must’ve been annoyed when he babysat him. But as he turns his head down he feels Leo’s fingers entwine with his and he looks up to see Leo staring at him earnestly, saying resolutely, “I’m staying here.”

“What about-“

“They will understand. Besides,” Leo starts to get up out of the bed, “I…have to talk to you about something.”

As he stands, he fiddles with the edge of his sleeve and eyes him, imploring, hesitant and Takumi feels the lighthearted mood shift into something more serious as he eventually turns away from him, avoiding his eyes and fidgeting.

“I-I’m sorry for…bringing it up now, it’s just - it’s probably an inappropriate time but I’ve been in so much pain I just,” Leo takes a steady breath, regaining his composure, “I’ve...never felt the pain of loss. As you have probably guessed from our past conversations, our parents never really loved us.” It hurts Takumi how much conviction is in his voice as he says those words. It must have been a terrible reality to come to but Takumi immediately banishes those thoughts from his mind.

“So,” Leo says, keeping his head downturned, “when my mother passed, I felt nothing. I…” Leo laughs dryly, “didn’t even attend her funeral. But with you… When I saw your pain I felt... _everything_. I’m...I’m tired of hiding this. You deserve to know, especially when I’m so sure...” 

The last sentence trails off into a whisper, as he unbuttons his collar and removes his shirt, letting the fabric flutter to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the cliffhanger but I have something very special planned next chapter!!


	8. A Lovely Duet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for brief descriptions of child neglect
> 
> Starts at, _Leo was never close to his mother...._
> 
> Ends, _Which was why it was much harder...._
> 
>  **~~~** indicates a change in POV

The day Leo obtained his mark had been…dreadfully mundane. 

 

To be quite honest, he expected something better. Fireworks and shooting stars behind his eyes and a feeling of completeness perhaps; not  _ this.  _ Not the searing pain splitting his shoulders, the talons digging into his back and the deafening wail of storms in his ears.

 

Because out of all the stories he's read, and all the tales he’s heard, he never expected it to  _ hurt  _ like it had.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo had awoken, bent over a couple papers on his desk. The ink now stained on his sleeves and the skin of his hand. Remnants of his magical studies now blurred incomprehensible on his palm. Dried drool crusted at his mouths edge and pooled on the parchment creating unsightly stains that made him crinkle his nose.

 

He hadn’t gotten much sleep these past couple days. Corrin was getting more and more restless in her tower and, though he could hardly blame her, that restlessness spread throughout the entirety of the castle. A phenomenon he couldn’t, nor didn't care, to explain. All he knew was that each passing day Corrin honed her swordsmanship and begged to prove herself, begged to be let out of the castle, their father grew more astringent. He expected more and more from his children, asking only grim consequences for those who disobeyed and with the likes of Iago sticking his nose in places they didn't belong, Leo knew he had to get better, if only to protect the ones he loved.

 

But it was getting difficult. 

 

Leo runs his fingers through tangled locks and wipes the sleep from his eyes. This wasn't the first time he attempted an all-nighter. The last few days saw him struggling through every hour, but for the reason why he could not say. Something felt off, is all he knew and while he’d previously chalked it up to his desperate need to stand alongside his brother, he knew he’d given that up long before now.

 

He lets out a long sigh when he sees Brynhildr lying open on his desk, forgotten in the fit of his restlessness and at the cost of a few books and inkwells knocked from his desk. He lifts his hand, letting it idle over the pages as magic thrums through his core, traveling down his arm in rhythmic pulses. The muscles in his hand flex and twitch as arcane magic travels through his tendons, summoned from his fingertips, glowing a fierce purple. Slowly, as if on cue, the inky vines sprouting from the tawny pages begin to retreat. They curl reflexively, defiantly, as if resisting. One untangles from his ankle; others wind along his table; but most retreat from the window, desperate for light but instead met with the cold wood of the shutters. They would find no light there anyways.

 

It takes a moment before the vines finally shrink and disappear into the middle of shining runes. He closes the book and lets the sound echo into the stillness of the room.

 

How long had it been? It was probably morning. Seeing as how Niles wasn't already sauntering around his room, it was most likely early.

 

Leo stretches, his joints popping and he stands, traipsing in a daze toward the window, opening the hatch and letting the cool morning air draft against his skin.

 

The tall walls surrounding the moat did not reach past his window, offering him one of the best views in the castle. Here, he could see the tops of houses and the glimmer of lanterns. The view extended down the valley, the ravines of the mountains and hills, cresting and dipping along the canyon. Along the end of the world, he could see the sliver of light shimmer among the boundary, like a blazing wildfire swallowing the land. But he knew that fire would not reach them. It belonged to the enemy. Just as the night was theirs, so was the rising sun for the Hoshidans.

 

Still, he’d always wondered what it felt like, bathed in sunbeams. How the world looked illuminated, awash with light and warmth and flourishing with vibrancy. He did not know how long he had to wonder. High tensions between the two nations threatened his attention and he couldn't afford to linger.

 

It appears, he isn't given a choice for something -  _ something _ \- hard and cold knocks the wind out of him and he gasps, stumbling toward his desk, grasping desperately on the cool wood for support. He…can't breathe. 

 

He’s sure he's breathing, can  _ see _ the erratic rise and fall of his chest but its all numb, like the universe was denying him oxygen and he was left to flounder, choking on nothing. He feels the sharp claws of fear dig into his chest, squeeze his heart into his throat and he tries -  _ tries _ \- to call for help but he can no longer hear his voice over the sound of a howling wind in his ears. It’s  _ then _ the pain sets in. Pain; searing, burning pain travels up his spinal column, concentrating over his shoulder blades and he hears himself scream over the deafening gale as he feels the skin on his back burst and feels his bones crack and he falls into oblivion.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo wakes, slowly, groggily and bent uncomfortable on the floor. The face of Niles, pale with worry, over top him as he is being unceremoniously shook awake. The events of the morning rush back to him almost immediately and he swats Niles away, affirming him that he's fine and no, he is not dying. Niles, voices his concerns about him staying up too long and exhausting himself to the point of fainting. Leo only agrees and sends him away, promising to get more sleep.

 

And as soon as the door is shut behind the wolfish man, he undresses immediately and looks in his mirror.

 

All at once, he can feel his heart stop, the blood in his veins run cold and he can no longer catch his breath.

 

He breaks his promise and does not sleep that night. Nor the second. Or the third.

 

He tries the fourth but  _ can’t _ . He faints the next day. It drags on.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Everyone notices his sudden shift in behavior, but they do not comment. 

 

He sulks and Xander more often than not regards him with a raised brow that screams, ‘A prince should have decent posture, Leo’ so he straightens out until Xander is out of sight.

 

He’s quieter than usual and his wit falls flat against his sullen countenance.

 

He tends to his garden less and less and it begins to show, as dead leaves and dying stalks fall to the ground. 

 

Nothing feels good anymore. He feels numb, drifting aimlessly through the days, some worse than others, most when he catches a peak of it as he's getting undressed. 

 

It lasts like this for months. His siblings approach him then, one by one, asking if something is wrong but he waves them off dismissively.

 

It isn't until both Corrin and Elise come to his room late at night, tears in their eyes and begging for him to tell them;  _ confide in them,  _ that Leo realizes this can’t go on _. _

 

Elise hugs him as they sit on his bed, all hiccups and sniffles. Corrin at his side, hand on his and Leo hones in on that weight, the weight that tethers him to earth. Xander and Camilla enter soon after, surprised to see everyone, having had the same idea as everyone else. Xander sighs, walks over to where he sits and rests a weighted hand on his shoulder. It may have been a small gesture, but at the time, it meant everything to him. Camilla sits beside Elise and leans in for a hug and he accepts the embrace.

 

He is reminded, surrounded by his family in the dim lantern light of his room, how much he means to them, how much he needs to try; how he cant let  _ this _ ruin him and his resolution drowns out the misery of tomorrow.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo…accepts it. 

 

Part of that acceptance stems from research. He’d read enough scripts and novels about the marks he was confident he could pass any test on the subject. Although, he'd been getting more frustrated by the minute. Marks were tricky to dissect and even trickier to record. Some accounts said they felt nothing. Others felt  _ something _ and most, if not all, described it as ‘indescribable’. Some people relayed feeling fluctuating and rather sporadic emotions after obtaining the mark. Others felt no such emotions; just the steady feeling of something  _ present _ . All in all, research had helped only marginally, as aimless as it was. It brought him some sense of security to know he wasn't alone.

 

Finally, he forgets it. His Mark, for all intensive purposes, was hideous and, unlike the wondrous joy some marks brought, he only felt pain and hatred emanating from every curve of ink. So, he removes his bedroom mirror, figuring he would survive putting on clothes without it and using a smaller hand mirror for his hair. It was easy removing the mirror and he made sure none of his siblings would know. Over the years, they would cast a few glances at the corner of his room, almost searching for it but no sooner looking away in conversation. It was much easier to forget, and in doing so, he learns to drown out the constant screams of raging gales in his ears and he becomes numb to the pain of talons digging in his back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
  


~

  
  


~

  
  


~

  
  


~

  
  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

 

He wanted nothing to do with it, he tells himself one day in the library.

 

Not even as he eyes a book with a small brown bird painted cheekily on the cover. Not even as he takes it from the table, promising he’ll only skim the pages and bring it back that night. Not even as he thumbs through the table of contents and lands on the first bird and not even as he reads everything from the scientific names to their diets. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

By the end of the year, Corrin would note offhandedly about Leo’s extensive knowledge of fowl and he would lie through gritted teeth that he didn't know much more than a few names. 

 

In truth, Leo had studied enough ornithology to name every bird in Nohr's skies, but nothing matched the creature on his back. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The first time Leo saw him was across the river. He didn't get a good look however seeing as he didn't care all that much. They were at war now and, in his conditioning for this very moment, saw only targets. It was best to ignore the enemies beating hearts; their feelings. He likened them to animals at that point, as his father taught him to do so. It was better that way.

 

Yet, even still, as he readied himself under the sweltering heat, he couldn't help but notice how young they all looked. 

 

The only news surrounding anything having to do with the Hoshidan royals, traveled through crass rumors and their own unit of spies. He should have figured with such baseless fabrications and bias observations; that his perspective about the image of their enemy would be warped in some way.

 

Still, the whiplash he had felt, faced with an enemy that looked as young, if not younger, than his own family made him almost sick to his stomach. 

 

He wasn't prepared for Sakura to be as young as his sister, only amplified as she clutched her staff close to her chest and, while he couldn't see her expression, her turned in shoulders obviously hinted at a more nervous disposition.

 

Hinoka and Ryoma looked about as capable as he imagined, yet Ryoma had an almost uncanny similarity to Xander; apparent with his rather stoic demeanor, and booming, authoritative voice, honed from years training for his position as ruler. 

 

And the second prince, Takumi, was shorter than he imagined and—for some inexplicable reason—his gaze lingered on long silver hair, flowing elegantly as the plains were windswept. The golden glare of his weapon glinted the daylight flare spectacularly and he couldn't help but notice the very apparent distinction between him and his siblings. A splash of blue and silver.

 

The howling gale in his ears picks up as his eyes linger, as does the tempestuous wilds around him.

 

In the end, he almost can't hear Xander’s reluctant call for retreat over the raging storm.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo didn’t hesitate eliminating Zola. He was but a mere stain, a cancer, representative of everything that was wrong with the royal court. Malignant and corrupt.

 

The fact that he'd rescued the Hoshidan princess did not matter, nor was it part of his initial plan. If anything, it was merely an excuse to fully dispose the shameless mage.

 

Still, his sister— _ no _ , the  _ enemy _ —looked back with hopeful eyes and he's suddenly transported back to that night,  _ that _ night, being held by his family, Corrin in particular holding him the tightest, back then when she risked being locked away for venturing out past her curfew and he hesitates, pulling back on the reigns of his stead, maintaining his distance, for his own composures sake.

 

“…dire truth…”

 

He’s abruptly snapped back into reality at the sound of Corrin’s voice, the wind whipping past him as his eyes briefly glance over the entrance to the castle, “What are you talking about?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He’d never considered his sister insane, but hearing her mad explanation to the war, some  _ invisible  _ place of which she cannot name, otherworldly manipulation,  _ invisible enemies,  _ he was no longer sure what he believed. What he did know was he wasted his time ever thinking he could reasonably get through to her.

 

Steeling himself, he blasts the entrance of the castle. The wooden veranda warping, cracking, splitting, sending splinters flying across the field. The ground shakes from the force of the blast and his arm aches painfully from the strength of the magical current that'd been forced through his veins. The princess’s screams burning clear into his mind. The wind picks up invariably, when thorny branches split the entrance of the castle.

 

“I don't know why I wasted time listening to your ramblings.” He spits, the dull throb in his arm is nothing compared to the pain in his heart and he jerks the reigns, leading his stead away stopping only at Corrin’s desperate pleas for him to stay, stilling him.

 

“What? You still don't believe I have the best intentions?”

 

Leo looks back this time, although he wishes he hadn’t. The princess looked somber, eyes downcast, lacking her usual confidence. Her hands held behind her and, for a moment, she looked young, like the sister he was  _ raised  _ with.

 

Leo jaw tightens considerably, the gale in his ears howls as he hisses, “Let me make this as clear as I can... You have abandoned our family, and I have extended you the same courtesy. I no longer think of you as my sister. Got it? I only came here to clean up that vile mage. You and I will  _ settle _ our differences some other time.” Each word makes him sick, feeling bouts of dizziness after every syllable slips from his mouth. His metal claws dig into the leather of his palm, puncturing it and his skin, and he feels a warm wetness spread across the fabric, dribbling out from where he held his reins. 

 

He violently snaps the reins of his stead, when he feels his lower lip tremble.

 

The howling of wind whipping past him on a storm-less day overpowers the beating of hooves against the earth, and it grows louder throughout the day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The first time he saw it, he was on the battlefield, hands gripping the reigns like a lifeline. He saw it at the corner of his vision, just a faint speck in his peripheral. Wings beating against the wind, giant talons and resounding screech. 

 

He froze and stared. Captivated. Studious. It didn't look…right. Not quite. Although, the similarities were uncanny, he hears the echoes of screams in his ears and compares the two. They were comparable yet, at the same time, they weren’t.

 

Leo is all but thrust back into battle with Corrin’s battle roar but he locks away this tidbit of information in his mind.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next time he saw it, he nearly gasped. Emblems, motifs, scrolls…They depicted it, wings outstretched in a similar pose and he feels his heart drop. He's always known his destined was Hoshidan but he's always held out a little bit of hope that  _ maybe _ they weren’t. 

 

He straightens up and ignores the signs.

 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

He watches the archer leave, rage quickly dissipating as he eyes the burns on his clothes, torn and full of soot from their scuffle. He doesn’t get much time to ruminate--stir in their stalemate--when the sound of his brother clearing his throat grabs his attention.

 

Xander’s scold is every bit intimidating as it was when he was younger and he feels shame, boiling shame, burn behind his heart.

 

“Your head is downturned,” His brother starts, as he always does, “So, you know what you did was wrong.” His words, although delivered slowly, rang all the more poignant in his ears and he felt his cheeks warm, an inexorable flood of shame washes over him.

 

“I—“

 

“No, no.  _ Please _ explain yourself, because I'm honestly so intrigued to see what you come up with.”

 

Leo snaps his mouth shut, knowing this question was rhetorical and merely turns his head away from his brothers gaze. He remembers getting similar scoldings as a child, mainly over something trivial and childish, and each time, tears would flood his eyes and he'd choke on his words and, even now, as he stands much older, he can't help but feel his throat close and his lower lip tremble. Momentarily, he forgets the physical pain from his injuries.

 

He hears his brother sigh after a minute, as he releases the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted—more so than usual, “Listen…I don't know what's been going on with you but I—“ He hears Xander sigh again, this time shaking his head. This was one of the few times Leo had seen his brother struggle with words, which while surprising in and of itself, the subject matter or—this rather intimate moment between brothers—seemed foreign to even the second prince. He and his siblings hardly had such intimacies, born into a rather strict political curriculum, he could count on one hand those familial moments, excluding Corrin.

 

“Everyone’s on edge, Leo.” Xander starts, once more, this time sounding far more resolved, “ _ Everyone. _ I’ve been getting reports  _ constantly _ of fights that—more often than not—end in injuries. And—“ A pause. “—I understand. We have been at war with the Hoshidans for…millennia. Maybe even more so. So—“ Another pause.”—I understand. However, that is not to say that that understanding extends to everyone.” 

 

Xanders eyes turn steely, and Leo braces himself, “I suppose I…expected more from you.” and suddenly, Leo feels unbelievably dizzy, as he leans against the counter, still avoiding the eyes of his brother. A brief lull of silence  overtakes them as the previous statement hangs, heavy, in the air.

 

“What happened?” And, in that instance, his brother sounded so  _ sincere _ that he almost tells him— _ almost _ .

 

Instead, he bites his tongue, and says, wincing at how small he sounded, “I don't know.”

 

But, his brother, ever observant sighs and says, “No. You  _ do _ know. So, please…tell me.”

 

And Leo swallows the massive lump in his throat, still afraid to meet his eyes and he thinks back at what he does know, about what he's been hiding. Of night after night, filled with stormy winds howling in his ears and pain, unbearable pain searing down his back, of twisting and turning, groaning in pain, as uncharacteristic, infallible hate builds in his chest and—he tries—to ignore it, just as he's done for so long but he just— _ can’t. _ At least, not anymore. Not now, as he recalls the archers fluttering pulse underneath his fingers.

 

And suddenly the mage is faced with the realization that he probably can’t survive much longer keeping this to himself. That  _ something _ would give.

 

So, 

 

“I admit…I haven't been very honest with you.”

 

He gives in.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He feels…especially better after his talk, like an unsettling weight has been— _ finally _ —lifted off his shoulders.

 

Which, may have been the reason he was so applicable with the archer there after. Even as the whistling of wind grows ever louder. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He takes up the Nightmare Ward on a whim—for no good reason other to prove himself to his brother—and sets out planning the magical item. He starts with a small glass crystal, no bigger than his fist.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The  _ pat, pat, pat  _ of footsteps echo throughout the stable, just as he swings the saddle on his horse. A brief glimpse in that direction, and he spots the archer carrying a couple buckets, presumably toward the nearest trough. His silver hair tied in a messy bun, the sun catching on the sheen of sweat along the archers forehead and neck and the mage abruptly averts his eyes when he catches his eyes wandering.

 

“Oh!” He hears Takumi exclaim behind him, and he turns to see Takumi give him a small smile, hands full, just as he is propping the stable door shut with his foot, “You’re here.”

 

Leo gives a hum in response, fastening the first cinch through the buckle, “If I'm not in the war room at this time, Im here.”

 

“Huh.” Takumi half grunts, lifting a bucket to dump water in a trough, “Figures I never see you during this time.”

 

“And I figure you rarely line up for stable duty.”

 

“Eh.” He catches Takumi shrug in the corner of his eye, “Someone forgot to close the chicken coop and now Mozu has her hands full chasing the damned fowl. So, it was either helping Mozu with the rest of her duties, or join the Cavalry of Catching Chickens.”

 

“…The Calvary of…?”

 

“Well, that’s what Odin calls it.”

 

And, despite himself, he chuckles, letting the hectic scenario play out in his mind, allowing a gloved hand to cover his mouth when his chuckles evolve into laughter.

 

Takumi merely smiles back, shoulders shaking with his own snickers, and Leo briefly wonders when their stiff conversations had ever developed into this easy banter. Perhaps it was a couple games of chess ago?  

 

Takumi empties the second bucket into the next trough; beads of water splashing against his face and shoulders and suddenly—strangely—his eyes are drawn to the flex of his trapezius and, even more strange, finds himself disappointed that Hoshidan clothes are so baggy and his fingers stumble over themselves at the thought as he fastens the last cinch. The wind grows louder the more his cheeks warm.

 

“Going riding?”

 

The sudden question snaps him out of his stupor and he turns his head toward his stead, running his palm over the mares neck, smiling as she snorts, almost appreciatively, “Mm, I often go after a meeting. Clears my head.”

 

“Makes sense.” A lull washes over them until Takumi breaks it, surprising him, “We should go riding sometime.”

 

His eyebrows raise, and his eyes snap toward the archer, who gathers the empty buckets in his hands, “You have a stead?”

 

“Well, no…” Suddenly sheepish, Takumi shuffles his feet, looking elsewhere, “I was hoping we could just go together?”

 

“On one horse?”

 

Takumi snorts, “ _ No _ . You’ll escort me like some sort of lowly servant.”

 

“Smartass.”

 

Takumi gives a daring smirk, “That’s not very princely of you, y’know.”

 

Leo snaps his head down in an attempt to hide his blush, mumbling, “Whatever.”

 

“So is that a yes or no?”

 

Leo feels the edge of his mouth twitch upward and the wind howls when he says, “Sure.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I can’t believe this.”

 

“Don't sound  _ too _ excited.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Leo snorts as Takumi all but glares at him, although it lacked any actual malice, glistening bow clutched protectively at his side.

 

“I just…” Takumi articulates, hand raising and threading through silver strands, “I don't see why  _ we _ are partners.”

 

Leo clicks his tongue in assent and eyes the tawny bars that separate them from the wide expanse of the arena. The limestone pillars were set ablaze in the morning light, illuminating a rather barren sandy arena. Normally, Leo would be wearing his full regalia to something like this, but the last minute decision to pair him up with Takumi had him bypassing armor for some simple leathers and cloak. He hadn't really expected to be picked as Takumis partner. Obviously, neither had the archer.

 

“Perhaps Corrin wants us to grow closer?”

 

Takumi huffs indignantly, the space between his brows creasing, “We were already doing that fine on our own.” Which was true. They'd grown a lot closer these past couple weeks. They'd even gone riding together just the other day. Still, he didn't quite understand why the archer was so irate. Perhaps annoyed? But Leo couldn't tell if that displeasure was directed at him or at Corrin. He decides to ignore it instead of pry.

 

“So,” Leo drawls, going for boredom but hearing an edge of anxiousness slip through his lips, “who are the lucky opponents?”

 

Takumi huffs a dry laugh, “Don’t know.”

 

“Wow, you are  _ so _ helpful.”

 

“Well, I  _ don't _ know!”

 

He merely rolls his eyes and tugs at the reins of his stead, hooking his boot in the stirrup before mounting. The cheers of the crowd gathered in the terraces make his heart race but he doesn't allow that emotion to pass over his face. 

 

A breeze whistles past him and he looks over to see Takumi eyes closed, hands gently gliding over the smooth gold. Ripples of wind kick at his back.

 

“Don’t you think that’s a little unfair? Bringing a divine weapon to an otherwise fair fight?” He clutches his own fire tome closer to his chest.

 

“Listen, Corrin came to me last minute. If she wanted a fair fight, she would've come to me sooner.”

 

Leo could tell by the edge of his tone that that was a lie but he doesn't get the time to question when the bars to the arena lift with a screech that has his stead flinching and flicking her tail in annoyance. He soothes her with a few shushes, feeling the saddle shift as Takumi clambers on, carefully balancing his knee on the back of the saddle, free hand gripping his shoulder and Leo has the faintest worry that Takumi might fall off as they set off at a brisk canter; the ever so faint impulse to grab his hands and place them around his waist.

 

They reach the middle of the arena, dust clouds swirling around them as the wind invariably picks up, sending bronze and tanned veils drifting, much like cream swirling in coffee. Takumi, as his stead slows to a stop, hops off and Leo catches the archers hand, even through his gloves, curled so so tight around his bow. Perhaps he has stage fright? Leo had his own sense of trepidation in front of larger crowds so it was easy enough to understand why he would be afraid. Which must have been the reason he so foolishly leaned over as the crowds cheers picked up, over the staggering mass of screams, over the roaring winds, says in an almost-mumble, “Are you alright?”

 

And for a moment he wonders if Takumi heard him. He almost wishes he didn't. For the roaring howl of wind in his ears is almost too overwhelming and he winces uselessly as that screeching grows ever more present the more his cheeks warm, which must be— _ has _ to be—considered strange.

 

But Takumi gives him a glance— _ his umber iris’ in the afternoon sun look as if they'd been glazed in honey _ —and gives him the faintest nod, the edge of his lips ever so slightly creased upward and he ever so slightly loosens his grip on the bow. Leo, for whatever reason, feels victorious.

 

The feeling subsides after a moment, however, when something screams, inhuman and horrifying. The dust settles just so that two giant figures lurch just above the tawny clouds. It grows very apparent, very quickly, that these figures are not humans. They stand about ten feet tall. Four elongated and sickly skinny limbs protrude from their torsos, each forearm pointed into very long, finely edged swords. One lurches forward, each movement accompanied by the sickening screech of metal, wood and magic. Threads of magic twist and hang off their joints, much like the string of puppets and their eyes, now visible, are hollow and expressionless. Leo has faced a many foe, automaton and monster alike, but these looked…formidable.

 

Leo ignores his flight response and holds his ground, pulling back on the reigns and readying a spell. Flames lap at his fingertips and he feels the heat travel through his veins, but not overwhelmingly so. The wind bellows and the dust picks up once more and, looking over, he catches Takumi with his eyes closed in concentration, hair streaming fluidly as he forms the bowstring. The controlled chaos of a hundred storms forming at his beck and call. Windstorms far off, in the back of his mind, ringing in his ears, howl as an arrow, bathed in bright green light, takes shape.

 

Takumis eyes flutter open and flit towards him, the worried expression sending Leo crashing back to reality as he turns toward the steady approaching puppets. They looked formidable close range, those long scythe-like claws could make quick work of an unassuming fighter. 

 

They should be safe here.

 

They should have been.

 

The one staying behind lifts its claw, the thread of magic entangling and wrapping around its limb, and Leo watches with mounting horror as that pointed claw faces toward Takumi, and that same thread of magic begins to pulse and flutter and, in an instant, electricity curls and sparks off the gleaming metal, before a blast of white light flashes and immeasurable amounts of heat sear his face. A thunderous roar shakes the ground beneath him and he feels his stead rear up—couldn’t possibly hear her whinny over the ringing in his ears—feels his center of gravity shift, his hands grasping for the reigns, the tome slips from his fingers and the air is knocked out of lungs as his back collides with solid ground and the world blinks out for what feels like an eternity.

 

Eyes cracking open once more, he's quickly overwhelmed by the chaos, of the buzzing in his ears and the bright flashing behind his eyes. Still, above all that he scrambles up to his knees toward Takumi’s direction because  _ he _ had been the target of that spell. However, he doesn't make it up before a hand, pushed against his chest, forces him still.

 

“Are you okay?” And although the situation calls for his immediate attention, he can't help but focus on that much too warm hand now settled on his cheek.

 

“I—“ He starts, regaining sensibility, “How did you—?” The ground in which the archer stood is seared black and shimmering like the glass in cathedrals.

 

Takumi himself looked visibly shaken, and the shimmering bow he once held is now fluttering with receding energy, the once golden metal now stained black.  _ Ah, I see. _

 

A quick glance in the direction of tawny clouds swirling around them and Leo realizes they are in a vortex. Brilliant for cover, but it wouldn't last long and the hand on his cheek recedes as Takumi pulls him up. He tries not to linger on the immense disappointment that action gives him.

“Can you fight? Where’s your tome?”

 

“Somewhere. I must have lost it as I fell.” A quick glance around the area confirms the tome—and his stead—are nowhere to be found.

 

“Great! Well, can you—conjure something up?” Takumi tries, managing a weak smile. The sickening sound of scraping wood and sparking electricity sounds just ahead of them and the archer flinches before turning his eyes to his waist, “How about that sword?”

 

It takes only a moment to process that he does indeed have his sword before gripping the ornate hilt and unsheathing it, feeling the chill of magic spark at his fingertips, frost immediately caking the golden cross-guard. A blade made of ice, catches the midday sun, and the familiar weight of his sword is comforting.

 

“An  _ ice sword _ ?” Takumi says, looking almost annoyed if it weren't for his nervous smile, “ _ Really _ ?”

 

“What?” Leo responds, keeping to Takumi's side, facing the sound of screeching. Large dark figures are now visible through the cloud of dust. 

 

“Nothing,” Takumi sighs, and his smile makes him dizzy, “let me just pull a  _ flaming katana _ out of my  _ ass.” _

 

Leo has to physically stop himself from smiling. He fails. 

 

“You literally have a bow made of light and wind.”

 

“ _ Semantics _ .”

 

And, in the face of two horribly formidable, and horrifyingly faceless, automatons, he laughs.

 

The moment is short lived however, as one lurches forward, raising its scythe in an attempt to swipe. The other stays behind, sparks dancing off its form.

 

They couldn't risk taking another lightning strike and Leo readies his sword at the exact moment a gust of wind beats at his back. Takumi had gone in a flurry of wind, feet having left the ground as he twists in midair, just out of swiping range of the mechanical beast, forming an arrow in an instant and letting the green light split and crack the air as its released, severing the leg of the glowing one who reels back, dispelling its magic elsewhere as it falls. Takumi lands with a graceful roll, the outline of…something disturbing the dust before disappearing just behind his shoulder blades.

 

Leo snaps out of his stupor, just in time for him to narrowly avoid a downward swipe, stumbling backward as the metal digs and scrapes across the ground. Another scythe, berries itself just in front of him, narrowly missing, but in perfect position for a cut to the wrist joint. There’s little give; the sword cutting through most of the magic tendons but bouncing off the metallic joint, and Leo makes sure to sidestep away to get some distance. It may have not severed the wrist, but the magical damage soon makes itself apparent as frost sweeps from the joint, curling and growing, spreading up toward its shoulder. The frost then expands as sheets of pure ice fall from its limb and the automaton’s limb falls helpless against the weight, its shoulder leaning uselessly toward the ground.

 

It wails in frustration, battling against the ice, its soulless face giving him one long look before it raises a blade and hacks at its own shoulder. The fine metal easily sloughing and chipping away at the ice.

 

Takumi has his own trouble. The monster now using its bottom appendage, just above the severed hip joint, to crawl toward him while the others slash at the archer, who deftly avoids each swipe, letting the wind almost carry him effortlessly across the arena. That is, until a sudden small lightning strike from a charged limb blasts toward him. The electricity curling like wretched fingers and Takumi shields himself with his divine weapon once more. However, the blast from earlier has the weapon all but spent, only shielding a small portion of the initial attack but the blast resounds throughout the whole arena, sending Takumi back, dancing green lights from the shattered shield grazing off of him while he lands just in the middle of the two beasts.  

 

Leo’s breath hitches the moment Takumi stays down much too long, the moment the beast forgoes cutting away at the ice to turn toward the prone archer, both descending on Takumi in an instant.

 

Without even thinking, Leo rushes forth, incantation on his lips as magic floods his veins, and he feels pins and needles all throughout his body, numb and shivering, feeling the threads of his soul, the very fabric of his being, unspool, stringing him through multiple realities. The world around him shifts and blurs in a vibrant display for a half-second before he's being rethreaded, his body awash with black strands that fall off of him and disappear as he skids to a halt right beside Takumi, who's legs seemed to convulse and spasm against his will. Even so, the archer himself fixes him with a leveled stare, wide eyed and lips ever so slightly parted, red dusting his cheeks, although, that could be from the exertion. Still, Leo feels his heart skip.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Peachy.”

 

Leo tries not to roll his eyes at the archers overly cheeky tone, instead hooking his hands just underneath his shoulders and dragging him away from the fast approaching enemies.

 

“We don't have time for this.” He grits out, and he feels the archer laugh. Can't hear it among the chorus of wind and screeching magic, “We should—“ He starts, eyes darting between the two automatons now at least ten feet from them, “We should call it off.”

 

He’s already readying the magic flare in his hand when Takumi's own gloved one closes over the bright red spark and he can hear his voice ring through the chaos, “I'm not quitting.”

 

His teeth ground as the one crawling starts to charge, the bright sparks bouncing between its lithe frame.

 

“This isn't a matter of quitting. It’s a matter of survival.” He growls. The beast with the frosted arm lifts two scythes.

 

He feels the archer sigh, hand not letting up on his own and, abruptly, Takumi is turning around, feet steadying, eyes locking onto his, the honey iris’ catching the midday sun setting fire to amber as he wraps his arms around his midriff, hand brushing against his back and the wind screams in his ears. Their fingers intertwine and his heart stops. Their faces so close he could count the flecks of red in his eyes and pick out the faintest scar on his chin…

 

They stand under the shadow of monsters, towering just above them before the wind screams, and the air is rushing out of his lungs once again as his feet leave the ground. Wind curls around them and Takumi’s grip is unyielding and Leo sees, through the explosion of sparks, the very faint outline of two wings unfurl from the archer’s shoulders, disrupting the air and the dust around them as they cut through the air.

 

They are suspended in space, the wind rushing around them, howling and swirling. It's all in slow motion, as a bright blue flash of lightning crashes just behind him and the thunder, the roar and rumble, the heat and the shockwave, blasts into the archer’s back, sending them crashing into soft sand. The wings disappearing as soon as they both collide and skid across the soil, Takumi's grip relinquishing as they roll a couple feet away from each other. 

 

There is a crash through the ringing, followed by a scream and then silence. It takes Leo longer than normal to lift his front up by the elbows and look towards the noise.

 

Both automatons, stand momentarily still and lifeless, their bodies entangled just so that they do not fall into a heap just yet. Ones scythe had viscerally buried itself in the others neck, and its head dangled backward, only attached by just a few wires while the other twitches as sparks of blue dance off its form. A red, tepid streak cuts through the wood, splitting and cracking from where the lightning strike traveled, relentless to reach the ground. A small draft is enough to clear the dust and it settles so that the summons are discernible. 

 

There’s a bated breath and the creatures fall to the ground.

 

And Leo can't hear the ferocious screams of the audience as his vision is filled with Takumi smiling. His pant legs stained with soot as he'd crawled over to him, and he rests a searing palm on his shoulder and they help each other off the ground, still trembling from the post battle exhilaration. 

 

And the crowd screams as Takumi lifts their hands into the air but all is drowned out by the howling of winds far far away.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo stands under the stream of water. The droplets trailing in clear rivulets down his body.

 

As much as the onsen was…an experience, he'd much prefer the separate stalls in the bathhouse. The large sheetlike faucet, if you could even call it that, was grated and, once running water flows through, emulated the rain.

 

It was beyond relaxing and, while the onsen immersed him in Hoshidan culture, he still much preferred his privacy—and privacy was hard to come by. With a position as unequivocally important as tactician, in a world so unfamiliar and war torn, it was no guarantee he wasn't needed at any time. At least now, people would think twice before barging in.

 

Leo sighs, shoulders sagging as the warmth of the water spills over him, soothing aching muscles and washing away the sweat, brought about by sword training with Takumi. His lips quirk up at the thought. Once Takumi had found out about his knowledge with the sword, he'd immediately requested to spar. Leo hadn't minded since, honestly, he could always brush up on his technique and, believe it or not, Takumi made for…quite a formidable opponent. Leo doesn't think he's ever had that much fun either. He always has a fun time with Takumi, of course, but this time both their competitive streaks had come out in a rush of adrenaline, kickstarting a mighty need to one up the other. They'd only ever come to a stalemate. Until their arms cried for them to stop and their legs ached painfully and they'd had to call off the match for a break. All but once.

 

When Takumi had gotten a little too hot and taken off his garb, letting the thick robes hang at his waist and sweat glistened off his sun kissed skin. When the sweat gleaned off his skin and pearls slid down his forehead and cheek and shoulders. When his eyes held a sort of fierce determination; an unquenchable fire, burning right through his own. When his lips oft quirked in the faintest of smirks, cocky but more confident than the mage had ever seen the archer before. Takumi had bested him that match.

 

Leo frowns, noticing his very obvious erection, in reaction to the warm water. Under normal circumstances, he'd ignore it, possibly try to hide it until it went away but this was far from normal. He didn't have a meeting soon and he honestly couldn't remember when he'd gotten some relief. His body practically begged for it, no matter the form, he supposes.

 

He wraps his hand around the base, and slowly glides upward, eyes closing and opposite hand braced on the wall.

 

It’s a slow climb toward the peak. The pleasure only a careful flutter just behind the navel, easily overwhelmed by the mounting excitement of release. So, to help speed things along, he dreams of someone, anyone; of soft hands running over his skin and of equally soft lips peppering his body. The pleasure mounts as the faceless person dips lower and— _ of course _ —it’s now that his subconscious betrays him, when his mind is enraptured with pleasure that he begins to dream of calloused hands and an eager smirk. Of those same rough hands gliding hesitantly down his chest, lower and lower. The fingers braced against the cold tile curl, nails scratching the surface as the urge of running them through impossibly soft looking silver hair increases.

 

Immediately, he urges his mind to stop, desperately clinging to the ambiguous stranger only to be interrupted as a flood of pure bliss rushes through his veins, as  _ Takumi’s  _ hand wraps around him and suddenly, morality is no more and he's dreaming of calloused hands wrapped around his cock, stroking him idly. His back hits the cold marble wall but it does nothing to interrupt the deluge of fantasies, preoccupying his mind, of warm hands and a warmer body pressed against him...  

 

He spills in his hand faster than he'd ever done before, and he watches as his shame gets washed away through streams of crystalline pearls.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“What was the first spell you ever cast?”

 

Leo hums, the heat of the afternoon sun washing him in warmth, battling with winters bite. The chirp of birds emanates from the surrounding trees while water laps at their feet which dangle off the wooden dock.

 

“Thoron.”

 

“ _ Bullshit.” _

 

“What can I say? I was a gifted child!”

 

“I don’t doubt that, but—still.  _ Bullshit. _ ”

 

Leo snorts then, eyes fixated on the little bobber drifting aimlessly in the water. He hears the string pull taught with each flick of Takumi’s fishing rod, moving the bobber in an enticing dance, mimicking the desperate flails of a small frog or worm.

 

“No, but seriously,” Takumi murmurs, gaze also focused forward, waiting patiently for a fish to bite, “I wanna know.”

 

Leo sighs, ruminating on the past, forwarding through the many spells he'd casted as a child. He wanted to lie. Say a small light spell but that wasn't the case. Takumi would probably see through his lies anyway.

 

“Do I have to tell you?”

 

“Well, no but—“ And Takumi’s eyes flick toward him for a half second, burnt umber set ablaze by the glare of the sun, “—I just kinda wanted to know. But I guess you don't have to tell me.” The archer sighs and Leo is perceptive enough to pick up on the rather hurt expression that passes over Takumi’s face for a half second before it steels into a more neutral one.

 

Leo frowns, despite himself. His hands anxiously fidget in his lap and he curses himself for forgoing the library in favor of sitting next to the lonely looking archer. Honestly, since when had it become so troubling when he didn't smile? He couldn't exactly pinpoint when it had started but now, whenever the archer so much as looked at him wrong, it sent spikes of discomfort up and down his spine, dotting his vision and telling him it was  _ wrong. _ That he has to somehow fix it and have him smile once more. Leo was quite afraid to put a name to this emotion…for fear of making it  _ real. _

 

The mage breathes hard through his nose, shifting slightly to face Takumi garnering the others attention who flicks his eyes in his direction once more. He doesn't even have to recite the incantation; the spell ingrained in his subconscious since he was a child, practicing it and perfecting it every day. He feels the subtle dance of magic in his veins, forever coursing through his blood, spark and skip, traveling everywhere and radiating out rather than concentrating on one spot before he cocks his head toward the pond. Takumi quirks a brow before leaning over to look under the dock and gasping. The wind in his ears is howling.

 

“…Fish?” And, looking out under the dock, there were indeed, many fish. Koi to be exact. Their eye-catching golds, whites, oranges and reds shimmer brilliantly as they conglomerate around their feet. Their dance quite captivating and unusual for their behavior, paying little attention to the dip of their toes in the water, choosing instead to encircle the dock. Carp after carp join the mesmerizing display rising out of the brackish depths and soon, there were too many to count.

 

“Are you…?” Takumi begins, captivated by the display, eyes dancing every which way before seagull calls have him turning his head skyward and the song of woodpeckers, warblers and cuckoos is drowned out by a chorus of seabirds. The gentle breeze picking up and the pines, oaks and maples surrounding them disappear, dissolving into a boundless expanse of ocean. Their feet no longer touch the waters surface, their elevation higher on an old pier. Below them, the oceans surface moves in tumultuous waves, lapping at the old wood. Swirling beneath them in an invariable vortex were no longer koi, but a fever of rays. The glare of the sun on the waves shimmering violently off their backs.

 

“Incredible.” The archer whispers, entranced, and the praise flutters in the wind blending into the crash of waves and call of gulls yet, even still, it rings loud in his ears, making his heart sing and the wind howl, marvelous,  _ incredible _ . 

 

“Is this—?” 

 

“—Real?” Leo finishes, looking out over the endless blue, “No. Unfortunately not.” There were a myriad of things that gave the illusion away, namely the smell was unlike the sea, permeated with the humid musk of the forest rather than the crisp, salty breeze of the ocean.

 

“When?”

 

“Maybe when I was six or seven?” Leo recalls the exact moment it happened; a wide-eyed curious child who'd had an imagination bigger than himself, dreaming of the stars and planets as their light suddenly filters through his room, “I studied the planets and the stars. I hardly left my telescope.”

 

Leo could feel Takumi’s eyes on him, burning where they rest and he makes an effort to avoid their fire, “I was…” Leo starts, swallowing his pride, “I was afraid of the dark, so I dreamt of the stars and constellations and the moon and, suddenly, there they were. On my ceiling. Surrounding me. Everywhere.”

 

“Don’t you need an incantation for something like that?” Takumi asks, voice as soft as silk and so incredibly close. Their shoulders brush against the other, and where they touch sends smoldering heat through his skin, traveling up his core. The breeze whistles past them.

 

“Not necessarily. At least, it can be nonverbal. By then, I’d already studied a bit of magic. Although, at that age, I hadn't cast a spell but I did have a very basic understanding of illusion magic.”

 

“Mm,” Takumi hums and Leo looks over, immediately wishing he hadn’t. Takumi’s gaze is about as fiery as the sun, staring intently, head cocked slightly to the left and small smile on his lips, “That’s still pretty impressive.”

 

And the praise settles deep in his gut, slowly fanning outward like the heat of a fire, burning, burning, burning…

 

Takumi turns his head away first, expression, once again, infuriatingly neutral and his right hand gently flexes. Something he'd caught on was a nervous tick.

 

The ocean dissolves around them and, in its place, a quiet forest. Takumi sighs, “I wouldn't mind staying at the beach a while longer.”

 

“Well, maybe next time,” Leo smiles, “For now, I think you should be paying more attention to the real fish.” And their attention turns once more to the still bobber floating aimlessly away.

 

“Right…” Takumi sighs, shoulders slumped and Leo nearly snickers as the archers boredom grows more apparent, and the stillness of the afternoon settles around them once more.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo doesn't know when the archer began to plague his mind. Perhaps it was a while ago, only brought to light by the dreaded flower crown incident that morning.

 

His fingers delicately turn over the piece of turquoise, fingernails digging in the little divots of uncut gem.

 

He’d finished the ward long ago. The spell was easy enough; a simple mind alteration spell mixed with some soothing magic and the small glass crystal pulsed faintly beside him, but it wasn't enough.

 

The crystal works as intended and he'd found his own dreams—dreams of battle, of swords slicing through gullets, of blood and screams—fade in the glow of the crystal. It was just—

 

He didn't think it was enough for  _ Takumi _ .

 

As soon as the mage found out his birthday was coming up, he'd tripped over himself to find something. In the end, he settled on an uncut and unpolished turquoise to be used as the vessel for the ward. It would be easily transferable and the soft teals intermittently pulsing with magic would look dazzling. Far more beautiful than the glass he'd been using. 

 

But it lacked…flare. Something personal. It was easy enough to buy a gemstone, harder still to give it a personal touch. Jewelry was out of the question, given that magic prefers adhering to a raw, uncut gem rather than polished stone and the archers own aversion to jewelry. But what else?

 

Leo turns his head toward the flap of his tent at the murky darkness outside before sighing and running a hand through his hair. He’s honestly thought too long on this.  

 

Something curls around the arm on his desk and he snaps his head up. Brynhildr lies open on his desk once more, except, this time, the once broken and dying branches looked…healthy as soon as the curious vine touches his skin. One curls around his arm at a slow pace, leaves that were once broken and brittle were now green and  _ living,  _ unfurling from their pods and fanning outward. The branches and vines which were a sickly grey and black now retain a healthy brown, and from its form it divides, as branches split and crack into more which coil upwards, smaller buds that, unlike the leaves, do not open, and sprout intermittently along the branches form.

 

Curiously, he lifts his hand and brushes the pad of his index finger against an unopened bud. It responds almost immediately to the contact and the bud swells splitting down the center as red fills his vision. Red petals fold and spiral outwards like an explosion of crimson until a spectacular rose settles where once a small bud was. 

 

Leo feels his breath hitch. Sweet perfume fills his senses making him dizzy and he runs his fingers over the velvety petals. He knew what this was. Magic was carnal and ancient, much like emotions, and magic oft reacts to the most rawest of emotions; things like despair, anger, fear… 

 

Which was why, as roses began to flutter open at the race of his heart, he feels his breath escape him as an emotion he'd so desperately tried to push down began to overwhelm him. The magic that courses through his veins ignites as warmth flares undeniably tepid through his heart and the talons that he'd once mistaken for hatred now claw desperately at his back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo rarely drinks. 

 

Which is surprising given  _ Niles _ is one of his closer friends. Still, there are times in which even the second prince ‘lets loose’. Namely, when something is on his mind. Something a horse ride along a quiet natures trail won't solve.

 

Niles and Odin are on either side of him at the bar. He distantly recalls the weight of Nile’s arm around his shoulder, but he is far too intoxicated to care—let alone swat him away. The booze making his mind foggy; words jumbled together and it's far too warm. He’s lost count on how many drinks he's had.

 

“So,” Niles starts, voice heady and slow, “what’s on your mind.”

 

“Ah yes! Something dost plague the dark recesses of your mind, my liege?” Odin articulates, animatedly.

 

Leo blinks slowly, their questions barely registering as fully formed phrases. Words flit through his mind a mile a minute; so fast he begins to feel overwhelmed, not that he wasn't already. The alcohol before, being a brief lapse in his stress, a savior in his situation but now, it refuses to work in his favor.

 

He finds himself spitting, “ _ Takumi. _ ” before he can stop himself.

 

“Takumi.” Niles echoes, taking a gulp of his whiskey, barely flinching, “You two fight again?”

 

The question takes a moment too long to register, but once it does his brows furrow, perplexed, “No, why would we—? We’re friends?” and despite himself, the last part was said with an unprecedented amount of uncertainty that had Niles chuckling and Odin repeating, “Friends?” with the same amount of bewilderment.

 

“So, just friends huh?”

 

Leo, for a moment, curses his insobriety for letting himself slip before his shoulder sag in defeat. There would be no getting past Niles tonight.

 

“I love him.”

 

He winces when Odin chokes on his drink.

 

“You  _ love _ him?!” Odin’s voice carries across the bar and a few patrons glance over at the trio who can only blink back, stupefied, before turning back to their own conversations. 

 

“Well,” Niles starts, looking at the divots in the wooden bar, “ _Love._ ” Niles tests and it sounds so foreign coming from his retainers mouth, like an entirely different language, “That’s a uh—a _word_ , I guess.” And Niles _tsk_ ’s before taking another gulp of whiskey, “Anything else you want to hit us with?”

 

“Im asking him out.”

 

“Out?” Niles coaxes.

 

“To—to dinner.”

 

“Mm,” Niles hums, blankly staring ahead. Odin meanwhile, is preoccupied, head in hands obviously still baffled about the princes proclamation, as if he hadn't been so oblivious to their lord stumbling headfirst in love with the Hoshidan archer in the first place.

 

“So, dinner…” Odin murmurs, “this late?”

 

“That’s true. We will be leaving soon.”

 

“I-I know but his birthday is soon and—and if-if not now then when?” Leo was painfully aware of his own mortality, especially when it came to the war. Apparently, Niles and Odin were equally aware, as both men hum in assent.

 

“Well,” Niles sighs, shoulders sagging a bit as he leans against the blonde, teeth showing, “looks like you have everything figured out.” and Leo snorts aloud, laughing dryly as he sinks onto the counter. The world was spinning and his head hurt.

 

“I doubt that.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo got carried away. He knew as such as his mouth trails kisses along the archers shoulder, feeling the smaller shudder and sending pulses of delight throughout the mages core.

 

He was going to tell him, promised himself he'd push back the fear of rejection—of him not being  _ the one _ . It was all so obvious. It had to be.

 

But as the archer clings, desperate and wanting to his waist and his thigh presses delicious against his crotch, all thoughts dissolve and suddenly all he is thinking about is Takumi underneath him. Takumi's voice crying his name. Takumi's fingers digging into his back. Takumi's hair threaded through his fingers. Takumi, Takumi, Takumi…

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo was never close to his mother. He rarely ever saw her. His earliest memories of her was him, alone in his crib screaming into the vast emptiness of his room. Screaming for food. Screaming for his mother. Screaming until his cries pierced his throat, raw and painful, and he could cry no longer.

 

Eventually, a maid heard his broken sobs and picked up his frail, thin body and nourished him behind his mother's back. News of the hapless, bony child spread quickly through the ranks of the servants and soon, many kept him company throughout the day. A new face would enter the room almost every day and attend his needs; some brazen enough to hold him. But once the clock chimed a certain time, the nice servants would retreat for fear of being caught—never mind that his mother rarely entered this room anyway—and the darkness would entrap him once more, suffocating him and drowning out his cries.

 

He remembers a night where he wanted to escape the darkness and wander the Outside, managing to clamber over the bars of his crib and climb down, stumbling onto the hard floor. He still couldn't walk very good, opting instead to crawl on the cold floor. Eventually he'd managed to push open the door, crawling into a dimly lit hall, crawling until a nice girl with lavender hair found him and curiously picked him up. He didn't learn she was his sister until he was old enough to speak.

 

So, it would make sense that with a mother so absent, she was merely a stranger to him, that upon her death he'd felt little to no remorse or sorrow. He didn't attend her funeral that day. He didn't even know she had passed.

 

Which was why it was…much harder to sympathize with the Hoshidan siblings plight.

 

Worse still was Takumi seemed to be taking it the worse. He couldn't possibly know the specifics of their relationship—although if he had to take a guess according to the situation, he'd say they were close. Closer than what he'd imagined. Closer than what he could ever imagine. 

 

Takumi sat amongst his siblings. The form of their mother having vanished just seconds ago yet everyone was still. Takumi looked as if his entire world shattered before him and, while Ryoma remained understandably stoic during the whole ordeal, the fact that Takumi  _ wasn’t _ crying made him worried.

 

Evidently, he didn't have to think for long before Takumi is standing and retreating.

 

He’d tried to stop him. Tried to tell Takumi that it was okay. That he wasn't alone. He didn't know if perhaps he didn't sound sincere enough. Maybe his own situation made it appear that way. All he knew was that, ever since that hour, he hadn't seen hair nor hide of the archer around camp. He beat himself up for it. Told himself he could do better. Put himself in that situation and feel the others pain. It was hard, but seeing Takumi so heartbroken was more than enough of a push and it sent its own sword through his heart.

 

Or perhaps that was his tattoo. Because ever since that hour, it hadn't stopped  _ hurting _ . The wind wails relentless in his ears and talons dig desperately in his back. It cries and cries and cries, telling him  _ something _ …to go perhaps? To see him? To tell him? He thinks that’s the answer, for the wind only cries louder as his thoughts drift to that night out at the docks, when he  _ wanted _ to tell him so desperately but chalked it up to getting distracted. In reality, he'd been so scared. 

 

So, when Niles comes up to him, two days later, cheshire grin and all, he'd resolutely set out into the night.

 

The scene in front of him is enough to take him aback, Takumi, swaying on a barstool alone, looking…dreadful. Bags under his eyes, hair unkept, skin pale…

 

But the mage has a knack for composing himself on the dime and so, when Takumi turns his head toward him, face illuminating so quickly it almost gave him whiplash, he'd merely remained poised, the talons of fear still gripping his heart and he says, voice deceptively calm, “There you are.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He holds him. He holds him so closely he can feel every shake and quiver and stutter and hiccup. He doesn't care how his shirt sticks uncomfortable to his chest, soaked with tears and mucus. He couldn't possibly…not when Takumi cries. Not when Takumi trusts him enough to let go of the facade.

 

His fingers rub soothing circles in his back and he doesn't dare say a word. The night goes on and sobs turn into choked whines and choked whines turn into little hiccups and then into snores. And the desperate hook of fingers in his back slackens considerably. Enough for Leo to gently push the archer back and into a more comfortable position, grazing his fingers over his forehead to push away his bangs. Those same fingers graze lower and he's cupping his cheek, thumb gently rubbing away the glistening trails on his skin. Takumis cheeks were red, eyes swollen and puffy but…relaxed. His breath was rhythmic and Leo could pick out the barest hint of a smile on the archers lips. He was beautiful. He was in love. And, as Leo realizes with increasing resolution, as the hours tick toward morning, he realizes he's definitely the one. His soulmate.

 

**~~~**

 

“ _ Gods… _ ” It's the only thing he says after what feels like an eternity. 

 

The vanilla light shines off milky pale skin, illuminating the healthy rose of his shoulders, neck and the tips of his ears. Illuminating the plane of his back.

 

Trails of ink rend his skin, twisting into beautiful shapes and swirls, reminding the archer of the elegantly painted scrolls hung in Orochi’s room, except this time, it is all breathtakingly new. From the ink, the form of a bird, its wings spread grandiose and proud along his shoulders, the ink spread thin with water among long feathers. Its long neck cranes in a beautiful ark. Brilliant crest reaching his nape, the blonde hair just barely tickling the top of the feathers and long tail feathers fanning out down the rest of his back, dipping below his waistband, some disappearing into the clouds around it. The light of the sun shining through ivory feathers. 

 

And Takumi can't breathe or think or talk. He tries, tries to speak, but what comes out is a choked wheeze as he's devastated by waves of confusion. 

 

Questions of how? How could this be?! He knew Leo was his soulmate and, by proxy, this tattoo supposedly represented him. But  _ how?! This… _

 

“It’s…sacred right? Or, at least, significant?” Leo voice interjects his rampant thoughts and he audibly swallows the rock that's lodged in his throat.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Can you tell me why?”

 

There's a brief silence, as Takumi takes a moment to collect his thoughts.

 

“It’s a kinshi…”

 

“But it doesn't look like the ones used in battle…”

 

Takumi swallows once more, “It’s…those are all females. Males cannot be tamed. They—I guess in that aspect they are sort of mysterious…” And he lifts a hand, brushing the pads of his fingers over the ink, feeling the muscles in Leo’s back quiver at his touch, “They represent strength. Vitality. Passion and achievement…A willingness to rise above hardships.”

 

And his hand darts back, realizing with growing wariness that he was describing aspects of a sacred bird. Aspects that supposedly described  _ him _ .

 

“Leo, I don’t…I'm  _ not _ —“

 

“You have one too.” 

 

Takumi’s mouth snaps shut, and he looks to the side. The silence is suffocating. Tumultuous. And Takumi wants it to end. 

 

He lifts his right hand and watches as Leo turns, shoulders flexing almost imperceptibly yet, even still, it looks as if the bird is soaring, flying over the storm.

 

Gently, he lets the sleeve fall off his shoulder, and undoes the bandage, the cool air hitting the pale skin underneath making him shiver. He watches Leo’s eyes as he does so. Watches as a flurry of emotions passes over them. Watches as the knight lifts a hand to his mouth, brows raising, eyes glistening as the first flower is uncovered.

 

The bandages flit to the ground, and there's a hand on his, gripping so so tightly. He squeezes back just as hard. Featherlight touches, trace the vines and he feels them shiver in response, magic thrumming in his ears a pleasant chorus. He feels the eight he's carried for so long, lift off of him, finally being able to breath, and as Leo traces over the runes on his chest, he audibly sighs, eyelids fluttering. Magic pulsing  in pleasing waves through his veins. His eyes catch onto Leo’s, caught onto umber iris’ like a snare, and the blonde smiles, wider than he's ever seen him do so before, the glint of unshed tears catches his eyes, and he's about to wipe them away when soft hands cup his cheeks and his thumb rubs away at a warm wetness on his face, of tears he didn't even know he’s shed. 

 

And Leo’s pressing his forehead against his, laugh ringing through the emptiness of his tent. Something so bright and pleasant to his ears he can't help but laugh along. Earlier wariness fading and fading and fading. Replaced by love and happiness, warmth that radiates like an open campfire deep within his core, traveling through every vein and tendon.

 

“ _ You… _ ” is whispered with such fervent desire, tepid heat brushing against his ear, shuddering at the sultriness of his voice. 

 

“When?”

 

“Not too long ago.” His breath fans out and tickles his cheeks and he huffs a small laugh, which dissolves into unapologetic giggles as the blonde noses his neck.

 

“I’ve always known.” Leo pulls away then, eyes wide. The delightful cadence of magic in his ears hums sonorous and deliberate. 

 

“Why did you tell—“

 

“I thought you didn't have one.”

 

Leo’s face morphs into something resembling guilt, stepping back and he already misses the warmth of his lover.

 

“I—Im sorry.” Leo whispers, and regret laces through his words like a venomous snake, “I didn’t—I thought…Im sorry.”

 

“H-hey…Leo…” He brushes his fingers over his face, cupping his cheek and stepping forward. Leo’s eyes are still cast downward and Takumi takes a step forward, brushing against him so that he's in the mages peripheral once again, taking in a sharp breath as solemn eyes lock onto his, “It wasn’t—you didn't know.”

 

“I should have—“ 

 

“ _ Leo _ .” His tone is stern this time, no room for arguments, “You didn’t know…and-and our kingdoms have been fighting for…hundreds if not thousands of years. I…I don't blame you for not trusting me at first.”

 

Takumi catches Leo’s adam’s apple bob and his gaze falters a bit, tongue swiping his bottom lip before he speaks, voice infuriatingly small, “I thought—when I first got my tattoo…I thought that I would toil away alone forever…” A wry smile pulls at the mages lips, “I didn't recognize the creature but the style looked Hoshidan. I thought—I thought then that my soulmate would never love me back.”

 

Takumi feels his lips turn upward, despite himself, “Well, guess we were both wrong.”

 

Leo’s shoulders shake as he laughs and Takumi wishes he could see the birds wings flit along his back with the motion, his head coming to rest on the archers shoulder, “Yeah…guess so…”

 

He doesn’t know when they'd laid back on bed, legs tangled, hands carding through silver tresses. His own smooth over Leo’s back, delighting in the mages shudders. 

 

They lock eyes once again, ice and fire dissolve, submitting themselves to one another, and the magic in Takumi’s ears  _ sing _ as Leo’s lips brush against his, exchanging languid kisses, earnest in the emotion that they deliver and Takumi hums hands splayed against Leo’s chest before pushing him away, lips still centimeters apart and the archer has to physically restrain himself from laughing at Leo’s perplexed manner, brow raised. 

 

Takumi doesn't hesitate to smile, pushing his forehead against Leo’s and in the silence of their room, breathes intermingled, with Leo’s fingers tracing the runes on his skin, his own hand against the plane of the mages back. 

 

He lets the “ _ I love you. _ ” ring through, like a song, a melody so poignant and beautiful.

 

And he watches the surprise on his lovers face melt away into unapologetic affection, the air all but rushing out of his lungs as Leo joins that tenor.

 

“I love you too.”

 

That once lonely refrain, now a duet of wind and magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first off id like to apologize for taking so long with the update. Real Life Stuff(tm) happened and I've had a few dips in mental health. Seems I stressed myself out over this chapter as well(doesn't help that I've reread it enough times I could recite the entire thing) but I really do apologize.
> 
> Hopefully the next(and final) chapter will be soon? Perhaps not. Im not holding myself to any sort of schedule for that one. But I _can_ tell you it'll be an epilogue of sorts! 
> 
> Ok so, headcanon time;
> 
> First off, Im not holding anything back on Takumis magic wings because 1,) fuckin badass and 2,) how the **fuck** else does he get on those mountains?! Its in the Fujin Yumis skill description! If Ryomas sword can summon lightning from the fuckin sky to smite his enemies then Takumi can YEET it out of there on magic fuckin wings!
> 
> Secondly, I headcanon the weapons as indestructible? They were what...crafted by this all powerful mage or whatever? Yeah, so when that lightning strike hit Takumi, he sorta used his bow as a conduit/shield.
> 
> Thirdly, Leo is a genius mage boy who's fuckin badass and a very powerful mage and that arena scene(and subsequent lake scene) was just me fulfilling my desire to make both of them as badass as possible(and to show off Leo's incredible power because, honestly the possibilities are endless)! Also, writing that teleportation scene? Made my head spin XD 
> 
> Lastly, and on a much more serious note, I do think Leo, and the rest of the Nohr sibs were neglected, especially during the concubine wars, and Xander took on a fatherly role as well as a brotherly one. Fuck off if Leo said Garon was a good father at one point because the timeline is so fucked I, honestly, can't see it. 
> 
> Okay so that was the end of my rant. I hope you rather enjoyed this chapter of KS! And thank you to all that stuck around and waited patiently and sent me kind messages on the last chapter! I read them all and cherish each and every one!!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcome!
> 
> My wonderful beta(and inspiration for the fic) is Traumatas!!!(@ traumatas.tumblr.com)
> 
> Questions? Concerns? Or simply want to scream at me(@ goldensahara.tumblr.com) about Leokumi? Also! I got a new blog where I'll be posting updates on my writing on Kindred Spirits and all that stuff! You can go [here!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zenith-writes) for the new blog if you'd like!


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